There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here
by Molotov
Summary: My first fanfic - be gentle...or not...it's up to you. This is the story about a mutant with a useless power (his arms fall off) who comes to the Institute, and his interaction with the other students there, as seen from his point of view.
1. New Beginnings

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 1**  
  
  
Author's Note: This is my first attempt in delving into the world of fan fiction. Hopefully it isn't too boring. Leave feedback, if you wish, positive or negative. The positive tells me to keep writing more, and the negative tells me to keep writing more so as to improve my skills. Thanks, and enjoy. The stuff in italics are thoughts.  
  
Disclaimer: I guess I'm supposed to have this thing here, since everyone else does. I don't own any of the X-Men characters or any of that stuff, except John, whom I made up on my own doing.   
  
**Edited**: August 27, 2003 – fixed grammar and spelling errors. Added more to read. Better than the original version.  
  
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The bus pulled to a stop outside of the Bayville Bus Station. As the passengers disembarked, a young man stepped onto the platform wearing a long, brown coat and carrying a duffel bag. His broad shoulders slumped down, and he sighed warily.   
  
Well, here I am. Time to start my new life.   
  
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a picture of a kindly-looking bald man whom he was supposed to be meeting here. His eyes scanned the surrounding groups of people, searching for the man in the picture.  
  
There.  
  
Resting in a wheelchair beside the door leading into the bus station, he spotted the man and walked over towards him.   
  
"Er, uh... Are you uh, Charles Xavier?" the young man asked tentatively.   
  
"Yes I am. And you are John Jashback, if I am not to be mistaken." His voice was so soothing, so relaxing. It seemed to calm the tense young man.   
  
Grasping his hand, the young man nodded nervously. "Nice to meet you. Well, uh, here I am. I suppose we'll be going now?"   
  
"Is that all of your things," the bald man asked, pointing to his bag.   
  
"Oh this? Yeah uh, I didn't have much to begin with, so uh..." he trailed off.   
  
"Don't worry," Xavier replied. "We'll be sure that your needs are met when we reach the Institute. Are you ready?"   
  
John nodded and the two made their way to the parking lot.  
  
_Institute…I don't care what they told me before, 'Institute' just sounds…bad._  
  
"I know difficult it can be for you to pack up and move someplace new, especially in your unique circumstances, but I can ensure you that I will do everything in my power to make this experience a pleasant one for you. Welcome to your new home of Bayville, John."  
  
**********  
  
The black van drove down an empty road and pulled up to the gate outside of a large sprawling mansion. The gates slowly swung open and they made their way up the long, winding driveway.   
  
"Whoa. I get to live here?" John asked.   
  
"Indeed. This is my Institute for Gifted Youngsters, people like yourself. They live and train here, and learning to control their abilities so they can leave to become productive members of society." Xavier said.   
  
"Heh. I wouldn't exactly call myself 'gifted.' More like unfortunate."   
  
"Now you shouldn't say that. Despite our differences from others, we are people, merely blessed with special talents."   
  
"Whatever you say..."   
  
The van pulled up to a stop in front of a wide expanse of steps leading to the doors of the mansion. Outside stood an African American woman with white hair and a young man about John's age, wearing red sunglasses. The two approached the vehicle as it stopped. Charles Xavier wheeled himself to the side door and pressed a button. The door slid open and a small ramp extended down.   
  
"Welcome back, Charles. I assume all went well?" asked the woman.   
  
"Indeed, Ororo." Easing himself down onto the pavement he said, "Ororo, Scott, I'd like you to welcome our newest resident, John Jashback."   
  
John stepped outside and extended his hand to the others. "Uh...hi. I'm John. It's nice to meet you."   
  
"Likewise," said the other young man, the one called Scott.   
  
John turned, and the woman took his hand gently and spoke in a rich, majestic tone. "It is a pleasure to meet you, John. I am Ororo Munroe."   
  
"Scott is another of the students here, John. Ororo is one of our instructors," Xavier explained.   
  
"Oh. That makes sense. Well, nice to meet you two. Ah, so uh...you all live here too?" John asked.   
  
"Sure do," said Scott. "C'mon, I'll show you around."   
  
"John, I will meet with you later this evening to address any questions and concerns you may have, as well as explain in greater detail as to what we do here at the Institute. In the meanwhile, Scott will show you the Institute's grounds and your room as well." Professor Xavier waited for John's nod before turning, wheeling himself inside of the house, accompanied by Ororo.   
  
"So uh," John said, looking up at Scott, "Shall we go in?"   
  
"Sure thing. And hey, ease up a little. Things here aren't as bad as they seem."   
  
"S..sorry. I'm just a little nervous, that's all. It's hard picking up your life and starting over again."   
  
"I know that feeling. We all do. But don't worry. You're in the company of friends." Scott replied soothingly, and he put his arm on John's shoulder and led him into the house.   
  
"Wow" was all John could say, upon seeing the inside of the mansion. "It's...amazing."   
  
"Isn't it?" Scott said before laughing. "C'mon, we've got more to see."   
  
The two young men walked up a large staircase directly across from the door, walking down a hallway before stopping at a room. Scott opened the door, and bowed mockingly. "Your suite, sire," he said in a horrific British accent. "I trust you shall find it to your liking." Truly horrific.   
  
In spite of the accent's awful sound, it startled a laugh out of John. "Thanks. It's uh…great." The room really was great. It was quite large and spacious, with a large window across from the door, looking out into the surrounding forest. A desk with a large mirror and a bookcase sat against the walls in the middle, and two beds facing opposite directions on either side of the middle furniture.   
  
"Do I have a roommate or something?" John asked.   
  
"No, not yet. But you might eventually, and hey, if you're here long enough, you'll get your own room," he added with a grin.   
  
John smiled a little and walked over to the nearest bed and tossed his duffel bag and coat onto it before sitting down.   
  
"Mind if I ask you a question, Scott?"   
  
"Sure thing. What's up?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to John.   
  
"Well, for one, where is everyone?"   
  
"The other students are all at school." He pointed to a clock on the wall that read 3:53 p.m. "They should be here any minute."   
  
"Public school?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh… But why are you here? Shouldn't you be there, instead of uh…playing hooky?"   
  
"For you. The Professor pulled me out early to come and officially greet you."   
  
"Oh, wow. I feel special all of a sudden."   
  
Scott grinned before speaking again. "I usually give the new students their orientation here. I'm the oldest of the students and I've been here the longest, so it's kind of my inherited job. But anyway, any other questions?"   
  
"Yeah. I can only guess everyone else here is…well, you know. What, uh…brought you here in the first place?"  
  
"Who me? Oh, I just shoot laser beams from my eyes..."   
  
John looked at him incredulously. "You can't fuc—"  
  
"I'm serious," Scott interjected. "I can't control them though. That's why I wear these glasses."   
  
"Oh. That explains it. I just thought they were for show. They _do_ look cool."   
  
"Heh. Try saying that when you've had to wear them every day for almost your entire life, living with the knowledge that you can destroy something just by looking at it."   
  
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry like that," John said, wincing slightly.   
  
"No, it's alright. It isn't your fault... So what about you? What can you do?"   
  
"Well...I can't really do anything, not like you. What I have is more like useless ability. Or a curse."   
  
"Oh, it can't be _that_ bad," said Scott. "Just tell me."   
  
"Well, you know how if you grab the tail on a lizard, it falls off and wiggles around for a while and then a new tail eventually grows back?"   
  
"You've got a tail?!?"   
  
"No, no, no! No tail here! But you understand what I'm talking about?"   
  
"Yeah, I think so."   
  
"Well," said John, "I'm kind of like that. My left arm is, I mean to say. Yank it hard enough, and it falls off."   
  
Scott stared back at him in silence.   
  
"Heh, I get that a lot. Anyway, it'll fall off and...just fall off and eventually turn to dust. Like I said, useless."   
  
"But it grows back, right? How long does it take?"   
  
"Not sure. I never sat around and waited for it. I just concentrate real hard on it and I can force a new arm out."   
  
"Whoa. Heavy stuff," Scott mumbled.   
  
"Wanna see it in action?" asked John.   
  
"I don't know. Does it hurt when you do it?"   
  
"Not so much as it used to. I've learned to deal with it."   
  
"Uh, no thanks. I think I'll pass on the offer for now." Glancing at his watch, Scott said, "Well, I guess I should tell you how things run here. We've got training sessions at six in the morning, breakfast at seven thirty. Then off to school till three thirty. Sometimes we'll have a training session in the afternoon, sometimes we don't. Dinner's at six, and sometimes we'll have an evening training session. Curfew's at 10:30, light's out at 11:00. Any questions?"   
  
John sat back stunned for a moment. "Uh, well...we train enough around here? Any reason why so much?"   
  
"To hone and master our abilities, so we can better use them to benefit society. I know it sounds kind of weird, but you'll get used to it. Anything else?"   
  
"No...I think that's it..."   
  
Scott stood up and walked over to the door. "I'll let you get to unpacking and settling in. I'll be back around in a little while to check up on you. You're free to explore the Institute for a while, if you want. And if you ever need to talk or anything, come to me. I'm just down the hall."   
  
"Thanks. I'll remember that," John said.   
  
Scott closed the door, leaving John sitting in his room.   
  
"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you! Bathroom's two doors down from you!" Scott shouted from outside. John grinned and yelled a thanks to him.   
  
_My new home... Doesn't seem so bad. Scott seems pretty cool, and so did Professor Xavier and what's her name? Oh yeah, Ororo. She was pretty hot. Shame I'm not older and she's not younger... Oh well..._   
  
John Jashback rubbed his left shoulder, looking at his arm. "Look what you've gotten me into," he said to it. Realizing the futility of speaking to his arm, the young mutant stood up and opened his duffel bag, emptying the contents onto his bed. A few articles of clothing spilled out, along with a handful of pictures – mementos of what he'd never have again – and the various essentials. Well, for the most part. Packing had been a pretty hasty procedure. "Home sweet home," he finally said, looking over his meager possessions and his grand new room.   
  
Home sweet home...   
  
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Alright, well, the first chapter was just the introduction. In the next few, you'll see the new mutant meet and interact with the other X-Men, and eventually into some fights or something. Anyway, this is my first try, so be gentle.   



	2. The Bathroom Incident

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 2**  
  
  
Author's Notes: The stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Oh, and thanks to all who left reviews. It's you who keep me (and others) writing. I love you guys.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or any of that stuff, except John.   
  
**Edited**: September 4, 2003 - fixed grammar and spelling errors. Added more to read. Better than the original version.  
  
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John Jashback lay back on his bed, idly holding his left arm in his right, waving it around in the air. It only seemed right to christen his new home by doing the thing that brought him there.  
  
He let his rogue limb fall onto the comforter he lay on and felt at his left shoulder where it up-until-recently had been attached.   
  
_Why me? Huh? Why me, God? Couldn't I just have been normal? And if you're going to do something like this to me, couldn't I have a cool power, like spitting fire or being a babe magnet or something?_   
  
Beneath all the cynicism, though, John knew he was blessed. He could only imagine how many amputees would kill for the gift he had been given.  
  
He sighed and rubbed his empty shoulder again. It was a clean tear - it always was. John clenched his eyes and jaw shut in preparation for what was to happen. Convulsing slightly and with a soundless explosion, a new arm burst forth from the shoulder, exactly like the previous one, covered in a slick, grimy film. Beads of sweat sprouted on the young mutant's forehead, and he wiped them off with his good arm.   
  
"Ugh. I better wash this thing off," he said to no one in particular, careful to not let his new arm touch the bed.   
  
He stood up and walked over to the door, but remembered the old arm still on the bed.   
  
_Heh, wouldn't want anyone to walk in here and find nothing but an arm, now would I?_   
  
John's face split into a devilish grin at the though of it, but went back and tucked his arm…well, underneath his arm and left the room.   
  
_Ok...Scott said the bathroom was two doors down...uh...which way?_   
  
His room was in the middle of the hallway, with plenty of doors to the left and the right.  
  
John turn his head back and forth frantically and randomly walked down two doors to a room, and opened up the door. It turned out not to be the bathroom, but another bedroom identical to his. This one was obviously taken. A small stuffed bear and clothes were strewn on or around one bed, and the wall next to the other bed sported blackened scorch marks, but still showed signs of habitation.  
  
John turned around and closed the door, heading to the room two doors from his on the other side. Sure enough, it was the bathroom. He walked over to the sink and set down his arm, while rolling up the sleeve on his left side, before lowering it down into the sink and turning on the water. John was always amazed at how the new arm seemed normal - he retained all feeling in it, and all of his joints still worked. It only had the ability to detach itself from his body. He shook his head in wonder and shut off the water, and reached over for a towel. He could hear faint voices outside the door, signaling the other students returning home from school.   
  
_Guess I had better go introduce myself._   
  
Again, he noticed his extra arm sitting on the counter.   
  
_Aw man. What am I gonna do about that thing?_   
  
But he never had the chance.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't like, know anyone was in here," said a cheerful voice.   
  
John turned around to see a cute girl a couple years younger than he half sticking out of the door.   
  
His jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you're sticking through the—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!" he screamed.  
  
"Oh, oops, sorry." the girl replied and walked all the way through. "You must be the new guy."   
  
"Y…yeah. I'm John Jashback," he said, carefully extending his hand.   
  
"My name's Kitty. It's nice to meet you John."   
  
"Likewise." _I think._  
  
And then her eyes fell to the arm on the counter. John winced when she screamed and couldn't help but feel bad for her. But then her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she collapsed like a pile of bricks. Her scream must have alerted others, because no sooner had she fainted that Scott burst into the bathroom.   
  
Seeing Kitty laying on the ground and John standing away, trying to back himself out of the room through the wall, he shouted, "What happened here?"   
  
"Oh uh…she uh...saw my power," John said softly.   
  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
John cautiously revealed the hand of the arm he held behind his back.   
  
"Oh. Whoa. Oh!" Scott finally said when recognition finally hit him. "I get it. She saw your power..." He stood up and went over to the sink and filled a cupped hand with some water, and sprinkled it in Kitty's face. She slowly began to stir and her eyes finally opened to see Scott's smiling face looking down at her.   
  
"You ok?" he asked.   
  
Kitty rubbed her forehead and asked, "What happened? I came in to the bathroom and someone was in here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw John. "AAAAAHHH! THAT'S HIM! HE KILLED SOMEONE! HE LIKE, HAD AN ARM LAYING ON THE COUNTER!!" She jumped up and ran at the door, but her panic made her forget her powers, and she ran smack dab into the door. Her body collapsed onto the floor, and she was out cold once again.   
  
Scott bent down and picked up Kitty in his arms. "C'mon John. Let's go see the Professor, and he'll straighten this out."   
  
"O..Ok...I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to do that to her..."   
  
"Don't worry about it. She's kind of melodramatic that way. She had much of the same reaction when she met Kurt." Scott's grin helped put John at ease. "Oh, and wrap your...arm...in a towel. We don't want this happening to anyone else."   
  
John nodded and wrapped his loose appendage up and followed Scott out of the room.   
  
"I uh...hope no one else sees us."   
  
"Don't worry, John. You just...don't lose that."   
  
**********  
  
John knocked on the door to Professor Xavier's study.   
  
"Come in," he heard from inside.   
  
Opening the door, he walked in to see the Professor close a book and set it on his lap. "What can I do for you, John..."   
  
Scott had walked in the door, an unconscious Kitty draped on his arms.   
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Xavier asked.   
  
"Well Professor, " Scott explained, "It seems that Kitty accidentally came upon John in the bathroom not long after he used his powers."   
  
John unraveled the towel and waved the arm around.   
  
"She didn't take it very well as you can see."   
  
"Hrm, yes. I suppose that's understandable. She didn't exactly take her first encounters with Kurt very well if I remember correctly," the Professor said.   
  
"Hey, who the heck is this Kurt guy? Do his arms fall off too?" John asked.   
  
"Not exactly," Scott said. "It's more like..." His words were cut off by Kitty stirring in his arms.   
  
"Oh Scott… Is he still here?" she mumbled.   
  
"Is who still here?"  
  
"That guy with, like, the arm…"  
  
"See for yourself," Scott told her while setting her back on her feet.   
"Um, hi," was all John could manage to get out.   
  
Before Kitty could flip out all over again, the Professor wheeled himself in front of her and spoke in soothing tones. "Don't worry Kitty. This is John Jashback, a new student here at the Institute. And you had an unfortunate run in with him after he used his powers."   
  
"Like, wait a minute. Arms laying around all over the place is his power?" she said sarcastically.   
  
"Now calm down a moment, Kitty," Xavier said. "Although your attitude at this moment is understandable, you should let me explain. John's special ability is limb regeneration, and at this early stage in his evolution, it is limited to his left arm. A unique aspect of his abilities is that he can also physically remove the arm. Only time will tell if it will remain the same as he gets older."   
  
"Oh. Well...sorry." Kitty said, hiding her face and blushing.   
  
"No problem. I get that reaction a lot, so it's not big deal. Of course, I wasn't exactly thrilled to see someone sticking through the door when I was in the bathroom. What if I had been doing something else?" John said.   
  
"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about that. I guess, like, I just sometimes forget about stuff like that. It won't happen again."   
  
John smiled slightly at her before saying the most idiotic thing anyone could have said at that moment: "Want to see my power at work?"   
  
"UGH! LIKE NO WAY!" She stormed off angrily and phased right through the door.   
  
Scott and the Professor laughed long and hard, and John only stared at the floor, trying to hide his beet-red face.   
  
"Oh John, I haven't seen anything that funny in a long time," Scott said, clapping him on the back. "You've got a wonderful way with women."   
  
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	3. The Burial, Or Lack Thereof

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 3**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts, anything in **bold** or underlined means emphasis is put on the word. But you know that already. Oh, and thanks to all who left reviews. It's you who keep me (and others) writing. I love you guys.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or any of that stuff, except John.  
  
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"Scott, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to John in private," Professor Xavier said.  
  
"Sure, no problem. See you around, John," he said while walking out. Outside, Scott broke into another fit of laughter.  
  
_Man, I sure blew that._  
  
"So yeah...I didn't exactly put the best foot forward with Kitty, did I?" John said mopily.  
  
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure she'll be fine. But we have more important matters to discuss. The first, and most important is what to do with your extraneous limbs after the use of your abilities. I recommend you bury them somewhere outside where they won't be found. We wouldn't want anyone to find a surprise in the garbage, would we?"  
  
"Heh, I guess you're right. Bury arms outside. What else?"  
  
The Professor wheeled himself over to a desk and pulled a slip of paper from it, and handed it to John.  
  
"What's this, Professor?"  
  
"This is your class schedule. You've been enrolled in Bayville High School and you start tomorrow. I managed to get you into as many of the same courses as you had at your old school. I trust this is of no problem?"  
  
John shook his head. "No, no. This is great. Thanks." His eyes drifted back down to the paper.  
  
_Didn't expect to be in school so soon._  
  
The classes seemed simple enough. Seven classes, just like John's old school. English, Physics, Computer Science, Spanish, then Lunch, History, Economics, and Math.   
  
_Simple enough. I hope._  
  
A cough caught John's attention.   
  
"Did you hear what I said, John?"  
  
"Oh, sorry Professor. I was just thinking about school."  
  
"Yes, I know," Xavier said, smiling. "Here. Take this," he said, extending a bundle wrapped in paper.   
"What's this?"  
  
"Your new uniform. All of the students have one in which they use when in training or on missions."  
  
John took out the uniform and held it up to see. It was a black pair of pants and shirt, with shoulder pads embroidered with red and black X's on them. Also included was a pair of yellow gloves, yellow boots, and a yellow belt with the red and black X on the buckle.  
  
_Nifty. But..._  
  
"Hey Professor, got a pair of scissors I can borrow?" John asked.  
  
The Professor's eyes lit up in understanding, and he handed John a pair of scissors from off his desk. John deftly and carefully snipped off the left sleeve of the shirt and held it up to examine.  
  
"Sure, it isn't the prettiest thing, but I don't want to have to yank my arm out of this."  
  
"That's quite fine, John." The Professor looked at a clock on the wall, reading 4:45. "Well John, I think it's time you went and met the other students. I am sure Scott informed you of the schedule we run here?" He waited for John's nod before continuing. "Good. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me or any of the other instructors."  
  
"One quick question: who's this Kurt guy you and Scott mentioned? Should I uh..be on the look out for him or something."  
  
The Professor chuckled, as if John told a very funny joke. "Don't worry John. Now go and meet the rest of the students."  
  
"Ok... And I'll be sure to uh, take care of this," he said, holding up the loose arm.  
  
John left the room and closed the door, but no sooner had it closed, he heard a voice in his head.  
  
_Don't forget John, dinner is at six._  
  
The young man shivered. He knew the Professor was a telepath - he'd known it after he first met the man, but knowing someone else was in his head still had a scary feel to it.  
  
John looked around, a confused look on his face.  
  
_Oh man. Where the heck am I?_  
  
_John, down the hall and to the left to your room._  
  
A mental image of the Professor smiling appearing in John's mind.  
  
_Heh, thanks Professor._  
  
John followed the instructions and found himself in a hallway that looked almost the same as the one before.   
  
"Aw crud. Which room is mine?"  
  
John walked over to the nearest door and knocked.  
  
"Who is it?" a female voice called from inside.  
  
"Uh..uh..sorry, wrong room," John called back and he walked on to the next room. He knocked on the door but got no reply. He poked his head into what was obviously a room that housed a girl. He closed the door and sighed.  
  
_How the heck am I going to find my room?_  
  
After one more occupied and two empty rooms, John finally found his room. He set down his uniform, but before leaving he wrapped the cut sleeve around the knob.  
  
_I won't forget where my room is this time._  
  
John looked at the towel-wrapped arm, remembering he still had to dispose of it. He left the room with it and found himself back in the main foyer of the mansion (_At least I remember how to get back here!_). A backpack lay on one of the couches near the foot of the stairs, but aside from that, no one was around. John shrugged his shoulders and went outside the building. Finding a small shrub, he crouched down and began to dig out a small rut in the dirt with his hands. He paused a moment, sniffing the air. It had a strange sulphurous twinge to it.  
  
_Man, someone's been eating beans or something..._  
  
"Hi! Vhat are you doing?"  
  
John looked up to see...something looking down at him. The face was covered in blue...fur and two beady yellow eyes were staring at him questionably.  
  
"Hi. Who are you?" it said to him.  
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"   
  
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Hehe. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but it was either a short chapter and then normal again, or a great big long chapter (and I think some people don't like that). Plus I couldn't resist leaving a cliffhanger.  
  
*Later Edit - I went and changed the part with the Professor and telekenisis, since he doesn't have it in the show, even if I think he had it back in the comics...or one of the many incarnations of the comics.  



	4. Extranneous Limbs, German Chocolate, and...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 4**  
  
Author's Note: The stuff in _italics_ are thoughts, but that's pretty self-explanatory by now. And I love you guys.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or this world they live in, except John, but since I don't really have a copyright on him, he's just mine as much as I can hold him (meaning you could use him and I can't really do anything about it). But anyway, I'm side-tracking here...  
  
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John screamed and ran. He ran and ran, making a beeline straight for the trees ahead of him.  
  
A puff of smoke engulfed the air around him, and the thing was in front of him again, holding his detached arm. "You left this behind, mein freund. Thought I don't know vhat you were doing with it..."  
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" John turned around and ran again.  
  
_Oh man. I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die! If it gets me, that crazy English-speaking German-accented thing gets me, I'm gonna die for sure!_  
  
Another puff of smoke surrounded John, and it appeared again, but a pair of three-fingered hands planted a firm grip on his shoulders.  
  
"Calm down! Ich werde Ihnen nicht verletzen!"  
  
John stared back, with a horrified look in his face.  
  
"Sorry. When I get panicky, I sometimes slip back into German, ja? I won't hurt you," it said.  
  
"W...What the heck are you?" John spluttered.  
  
"I am a human, like you," it/he said sadly and it's/his head lowered in shame. Whatever it was, it was hunched over, but John noticed it would have been about his height if fully erect. Blue fur covered the entire body (even the tail!!), and it wore a variation of the uniform the Professor had given him.  
  
"Listen, I...I'm sorry. You just snuck up on me, that's all." John extended his hand and continued. "I'm John Jashback. What's your name?"  
  
An odd, yellow-glove covered three-fingered hand shook John's hand. "I'm Kurt Vahgner," he drawled out, "spelled with a 'W' but pronounced with a 'V,'" he said grinning. "It is nice to vinally meet the person who gave Kitty ze lump on her head." A devilish smile stretched across his face and his eyes glowed delightfully. "And zat vould explain this," he said, holding up John's discarded arm.  
  
John winced a little before speaking. "So you uh, heard about that, huh?"  
  
Kurt threw his head back and laughed loudly. "I don't think there's a person in ze whole mansion who doesn't know."  
  
John could only groan.  
  
"So zis arm..is that your power?"  
  
"Er, not exactly." John extended his left arm out to Kurt. "Here, grab my arm real tight."  
  
Kurt gave him an interested look but he did as was told.  
  
"I'm going to count to three. When I hit three, pull as hard as you can."  
  
"Are you sure you know vhat you're doing?"  
  
"Trust me Kurt. If you think you scared me, you aint seen nothing yet." John grinned very evilly, adding to the blue-furred boy's curiosity. "One...two...three..."  
  
Kurt yanked as hard as his nimble body would allow, and loud snap was heard, almost wet sounding. The arm slid out of the socket and into Kurt's arms, who stumbled backwards a few steps.  
  
Kurt couldn't help but scream.  
  
_Twice in one day? What was I thinking coming here?_  
  
"Vow! That was cool!" Then Kurt's voice lowered. "Now ve have two extra arms and you only have one left."  
  
John smiled and said, "You've only seen half the show." _And the least painful part too..._  
  
Eyes clenched shut, John planted his feet securely on the ground. This wouldn't be the best time to fall over. Sweat quickly beaded on his forehead and formed under his one arm. He emitted a low grunt that seemed to last forever. Finally, the new arm burst forth, exactly the same as the previous arm, but once again covered in a light film of...fluid. John collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily.  
  
"Are you ok, man?" Kurt asked, crouching next to John, with an arm on his back.  
  
"Yeah...I'll be...just fine...just tired...that's all...I haven't...done that in such close...intervals before..." His speech was soon interrupted by a flurry of coughing. John looked up at Kurt and smiled weakly. "No problem.."  
  
"Didn't that hurt, mein freund?"  
  
"Oh, just a little. I just felt the strain of it, since I don't think I've ever used my power more than once in the span of an hour. I'm just worn out." John looked at the two discarded arms laying on the ground behind them. "C'mon. Let's go bury those. I don't exactly want another reaction like yours or Kitty's any time soon..."  
  
Kurt laughed and slapped him on the back, before helping John to his feet. The two young men made their way back over to the bush and buried the two arms.  
  
"There. In a couple of hours, they'll turn into dust and it'll be like they never existed."  
  
"Cool," was all Kurt could say.  
  
"So Kurt, if you don't mind my asking, how uh, did you manage to uh, appear in front of me like that just a minute ago?"  
  
Kurt's smile brightened his dark face. "Now you zee me...and now you don't!" And with that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. John looked all around before spotting Kurt a few feet away from him. "You like, ja?"  
  
"Whoa...that's pretty sweet man." John sniffed the air. "Woooo man, what's that smell?" He shot an accusing look at Kurt.  
  
Kurt stuck out his tongue at him. "Something that happens vhen I teleport."  
  
"Oh. Well...I've only got one last question - anything to eat around here?"  
  
The blue-furred mutant beamed with delight. "Now you're speaking my language!" Putting a three-fingered hand on John's shoulder, the two disappeared from sight.  
  
**********  
  
"Kurt, I don't care what anyone says, you Germans really know how to make your chocolate."  
  
Laying sprawled out on a bed, Kurt and John stared up at the ceiling with satisfied stomachs and lazy grins on their faces. All around them lay a wasteland of candy wrappers.  
  
"Ja," was all Kurt could manage to say.  
  
"You know Kurt, we got a saying where I'm from and I think it applies real nicely here. We are officially fat, dumb, and happy."  
  
Once again, all Kurt could manage to mutter was a "Ja."  
  
John managed to turn his head to see a clock resting on a table next to the bed. It read 5:58.  
  
"Hey Kurt...It's 6 o'clock. Time for dinner."  
  
As if filled with a renewed vigor, Kurt sprung up off the bed, practically bouncing around like well, exactly what he was at the moment...a kid full of sweets.   
  
"Come on, John! Let's go eat some more!" he said excitedly. "I'm still hungry!"  
  
"Uh...but I don't know where the kitchen is. I barely remembered where my room was..."  
  
"Who needs to walk when the fuzzy man's around?" Kurt bubbled. He reached down and grabbed John by the scruff of his shirt and in an instant, BAM, they were gone.  
  
**********  
  
The next thing John Jashback realized was that he was still laying on his back. The second thing that hit him was that he was no longer in Kurt's room. The third thing John noticed was the eerie silence.  
  
_Oh please God no..._  
  
Kurt pulled him onto his feet as they stood face-to-face with the other residents of the Institute seated at the dining room table. Everyone looked at the duo with a raised eyebrow and questioning look.  
  
"Oh, hi everybody," Kurt started. "This is John. He's new here. Ve were just in my room talking when..." Kurt's voice quickly faltered and he hung his head in embarrassment. Had it been possible, Kurt would be blushing.  
  
John envied Kurt at that moment - he could just teleport out of this situation.  
  
_Hell of a first impression I've made._  
  
"Um...hi?"  
  
He waved at the occupants of the room, from a beautiful redhead to an angry looking man to an African American boy with a funny haircut to a Goth girl with white streaks in her brown hair to Kitty sporting a red lump on her forehead to a very young boy about ready to fall over giggling to... There were so many people in the room, all staring at the two so that their faces seemed to blur together. John hung his head in embarrassment, wishing he were anywhere at that exact moment, except in the dining room of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.  
  
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	5. Memories and Dinner Escapades

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 5**  
  
Author's Note: The stuff in _italics_ are thoughts Oh and I still love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or this world they live in, Marvel does, except their being sued by Stan Lee...and maybe Kids WB owns some of this too. What it all boils down to is that I don't own this stuff, except the character John.  
  
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Every pair of eyes on the room were glued to Kurt Wagner and John Jashback.  
  
Kurt elbowed John and whispered, "Come on, man! Say something."  
  
"Uh...uh...uh...uh..." was all John could manage to say, eyes frantically darting around the room.  
  
"Hey," called a voice from inside the kitchen. "Here comes the food."  
  
John's eyes drifted over to see a large covered tray come out of the kitchen. And then he noticed just who was carrying it. The man...if it was even human, could only be described as a big blue gorilla wearing a dainty little apron. The afternoon's events came crashing down, and John's legs gave out. His body collapsed onto the tile floor, his head hitting it the hardest.  
  
**********  
  
John felt like he was falling. There was no better way to describe it. Falling and falling in a deep, black void. And then all of a sudden, John was on the ground. He looked down at his feet and recognized the familiar blacktop of a roadway. Arcs of lightning illuminated the sky and the roar of thunder echoed on forever. John knew exactly where he was. It was the day his life changed completely. Rain began to fall steadily all around the young man, but he didn't seem to get wet. Or maybe he couldn't feel it. John only stared numbly at the ground, knowing what was about to occur.  
  
**********  
  
"What happened here?" a voice said.  
  
"Car took the corner too sharp and hit a large puddle of water. It slid out of control, hitting the guard rail before flipping over and coming to a stop approximately thirty-seven feet from where the vehicle first lost control," said another voice, very matter-of-factly.  
  
"How many people were inside?" the first voice asked.  
  
"Three. Two adults and one minor, a family on their way back home from visiting their relatives. We've freed the two parents who're in an ambulance" The voice motioned to the vehicle behind him. "The child is still trapped. A piece of metal has his arm pinned down."  
  
**********  
  
"It's a very bad wound. I don't know if we'll be able to salvage the arm."  
  
"Do we have any alternatives, doctor?"  
  
"He'll no longer have full use of his arm. If we keep it attached, it'll only be dead weight. Either it stays and serves no use to him, or we can amputate it at the shoulder..."   
**********  
  
A shadow stood over and watched it's younger self lay in the hospital bed. A bandaged stump was all that remained of John Jashback's left arm after the surgery. His parents lay asleep in chairs seated next to the bed. Walking over next to the bed, the older John reached out and touched his younger self's face and then his shoulder. He flinched slightly and touched his shoulder. And then suddenly everything shifted.  
  
**********  
  
John found himself in his bedroom back home. He idly felt his shoulder and looked out the window.  
  
_Why did this have to happen to me? Why?_  
  
"Why?" John said aloud. "I want my arm back..." he said softly. He buried his face in his one good hand and sobbed. He lay back and leaned his head against the wall and stared at a picture of his family, taken before the accident. He picked it up and threw it against the wall.  
  
"I-WANT-MY-ARM-BACK!" he roared.  
  
He jumped off the bed and began to furiously destroy his room. He threw open his closet door and pulled out all of his clothes, stomping over them. He ripped a poster off the wall, all the while screaming like a madman. He kicked over a chair by his desk and knocked over his bookcase. He picked up his alarm clock and held it high into the air and...stopped. He stopped. He brought down the clock and looked closely at it. Not at the clock, but at what was holding it: two hands. He dropped the clock and stared at his hands. Hands. What a glorious feeling it was to John. He looked and saw an entire arm where there once was nothing. His legs shook uncontrollably and he sat down in the floor, staring wide-eyed at his arm.  
  
His mother, alerted by the yelling and the sounds from within her son's room came in and spoke, "John, what's going on...in...here..." Her voice slowly trailed off as she stared at her son whom had only one arm that morning and now sat with two. "Honey..." she began. "I think you should come in here..."  
  
**********  
  
John slowly opened his eyes and looked up. A barrage of faces stared down at him. As his eyes came slowly back into focus, he brought both hands up to his face and examined them. All of a sudden, he broke into tears, but the sobs soon turned into laughter.  
  
_Sometimes I wish I had never survived that crash..._  
  
"Kurt..." he said softly. "How long have I been out?"  
  
"Not long. Only a few seconds... Vow! Are you ok? Zhat sounded painful," the blue-furred mutant said excitedly.  
  
"OW! Yeah, you're right..." He put his hand to the back of his head and rubbed it slowly. "I guess I gave you all a little scare, huh?" John said, smiling weakly.   
A very fearsome, blue-furred face appeared in front of John's path of vision and spoke in surprisingly gentle tones. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I tend to have that affect sometimes." It smiled, revealing razor sharp teeth.  
  
"Heh. Uh, no problem. You'd think after today's events that I'd be pretty used to surprises." John pushed himself up on his feet and took a deep breath. "Let's try this again... Hello," he said, spinning in a circle and waving to everyone. "I'm John Jashback. I'm new here, and uh, it's nice to meet you all. Kurt and I were talking when we noticed the time, but we didn't expect to make such a uh, 'memorable' entrance coming down here," he said.  
  
John let the tension stream out of his body when everyone smiled and laughed and introduced themselves. The big blue gorilla was Mr. McCoy, the Goth girl was Rogue, there were two people with funny haircuts, Evan and Ray, the gorgeous redhead was Jean, the angry looking fellow was Logan, the youngest of them all was Jamie, and a whole slew of others whom John probably wouldn't remember for a few days.  
  
"Now zhat all of this has been settled," Kurt exclaimed, "Let's eat!"  
  
And they did. John sat at the very end of the table, next to Kurt, the only person he was truly comfortable with, and he was somewhat frightened by the angry looks he was getting from Kitty, seated across the table.  
  
"So Kurt..." John said, turning to face the furry mutant who was currently using his tail to hold a fork while he cleaned off his hands. "I've got a question for you. You and Mr. McCoy...you two related or something?"  
  
Kurt looked at him quizzically for a moment before laughing. "No, mein freund, but I do see that leetle detail that vould make you think so."  
  
"So John, what special ability brought you here?" It took John a moment to realize it was Jean talking to him.  
  
_Wow...She's pretty. Real pretty..._  
  
"Did you hear what I said John?" Jean asked again.  
  
"Huh, what?"  
  
"I said what's your power?" she said.  
  
"Oh, well uh..." John mumbled, trying to remember what it was the Professor said. "Oh! Limb regeneration. Yeah...limb regeneration. What about you?"  
  
_Oh, a little of this and a little of that._  
  
John looked around, startled, and looked at Jean. "Wha... Was that you?"  
  
_Sure was._  
  
Jean smiled at him.  
  
"Hey, that's cool. You can do telepathy like the Professor," John blurted.  
  
"You got it," she replied. "I can also move things around with my mind, just like the Professor, although I'm not as skilled as he is. Not yet, at least."  
  
A deep feeling of shame and embarrassment filled John's body.  
  
_Oh crap. She can read my mind. Then she must know I think she's..._  
  
Jean's wink was answer enough to that. John almost managed not to groan.  
  
Before things got even more out of hand that day, John quickly changed the subject. "So uh, you guys mind if I ask what your powers are?" He looked all around while asking that, and few seemed to disagree. John was nearly taken aback by the diversity of the powers. And every one of them had a useful power, with the exception of little Jamie. But then again, once he had his power under control, it wouldn't be such a hassle. John felt very...plain. All of the people in the room could do great things, like teleport and walk through walls and create fire and create ice and shoot lightning and turn into a wolf. And then there was John Jashback... John Jashback, who's arm fell off.  
  
_Not exactly the stuff of heroes, eh?_  
  
Of course, the questioning didn't go by completely smooth. The one called Logan just growled when John asked about his powers. Kurt nudged him and said, "Don't ask." And when John asked Rogue...  
  
"That's none o' your business!" she shouted angrily. She got up and stormed out of the room.  
  
Again, Kurt filled him in. "If she touches anyone, or anyone touches her, she zaps their powers and if she holds on too long, they can die."  
  
"Oh. That has to be rough, not being able to touch anyone. I guess that explains her clothes..." Everyone else in the room nodded solemnly.  
  
The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, much of the conversation focused on school and the like. All in all, it wasn't so bad, but John couldn't help but feel sheepish deep down. In a span of about four hours, John Jashback had succeeded in injuring one girl, offending another, and embarrassing himself with a third, not to mention fainting and making himself look the fool in front of the other students.  
  
_Hell of a first day. Oh yes, hell of a first day._  
  
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Heh heh. I don't know if Beast actually does the cooking, but they never say who does in the show, so I improvised. And besides, the image of Beast in an apron was too good to pass up. Oh, and I guess to help with any continuity issues that pop up, this is all pre-Day of Reckoning.   



	6. Apologies and the First Multiple Irregul...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 6**  
  
Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, I think you know by now: the stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Thanks for all of the positive feedback. It's a great incentive for writing. If you have any recommendations for what you want to see in the story, feel free to offer them, cause c'mon, I made up a character who's arm falls off, so I'm open to pretty much ANYTHING.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the people or locations in this story, except John.  
  
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_Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid..._  
  
John Jashback yelled various obscenities at himself while pacing in a circle next to a door. The dinner had ended relatively well, and he had managed to pull away from the others unhindered. Finally he stopped and stood with his face nearly pressed against the door and sighed.  
  
_Well, I've got three choices. I can leave, I can stay and be awkward forever, or I can stop being so damned scared and get this over with._  
  
While the first two choices seemed so much more simple, John knew he'd have to do what needed done. He took a deep breath, mustered up all of the courage he could handle, and knocked on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" called a voice from inside.  
  
John opened the door and poked his head inside and tried to smile. "Uh...hi. Remember me? I'm the uh, new guy who uh, made you mad..." His smile slipped as he watched the two girls glare at him as if he carried the plague.  
  
The Goth girl, Rogue just stared while Kitty gave him a look as cold as ice. "Like, what do you want?"  
  
"Yeah, uh, I just wanted to apologize," John began, and at that moment he was glad they could only see his head, because his whole body was shaking with anxiety. He cleared his throat before starting again, talking much faster than he could have liked. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for before, both of you. Kitty, I'm sorry for scaring you so much, and Rogue, I'm sorry that I upset you. I just...I didn't know. You've got to believe me. I'd never intentionally do anything like that to anyone. It's just...it's hard...everything, you know? I'm just trying to get used to being a mutant, and getting used to things here." John finally exhaled. He had done his part, and he hoped they wouldn't burn him at the stake.  
  
The two girls sat in silence for a moment, before Kitty finally spoke up. "It's ok. I wasn't exactly like, the most happy person in the world when I finally accepted I was...different. Just uh, make sure I don't walk into the bathroom and catch you doing that again," she finished dryly, a wicked glint in her eyes.  
  
"Oh ah'lright. Ah forgive you," Rogue said. "Not your fault for somethin' ya didn't know."  
  
"Great!" John exclaimed. "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. I mean it. I hope we can eventually become friends." He let the rest of himself in the room, both hands behind his back and walked over to Rogue. With a great flourish, he produced a rose from behind his back and handed it to her. He walked over to Kitty and did the same. "I, uh, saw these earlier when I was outside with Kurt, and I uh, kinda figured they'd help show how I sorry I was," he said quickly, occasionally stumbling over his words, backing out of the room, grinning like a fool and waving. "Good night!" he managed to cough out, before closing the door in front of him, and exhaling much harder than he had done when apologizing. His legs started to buckle underneath him, and he sat down in the floor, leaning against the wall for support, breathing heavily.  
  
_Oh, I can rip off my arm and grow a new one back, but I can't apologize without making myself look stupid... Man, that burned me out._  
  
Just as John was beginning to relax, a shadow cast itself over him. He looked up and saw Jamie staring at him curiously.  
  
"Hey, how you doin'?" John said wearily.  
  
"Fine... What're you doing?"  
  
"Oh me? I just got done apologizing to Kitty and Rogue, oh and I made myself look dumb."  
  
Jamie clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud, but failed miserably.  
  
John ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in anguish.  
  
"Hey uh, Jamie? You won't uh, tell anyone what I just, will you?"  
  
The younger boy gave him a sadistic grin. "I won't... But there's a saying: 'You scratch my back and I scratch yours.'"  
  
John gulped. "Uh...what do you want me to do?" A million different thoughts raced through John's head.  
  
_Oh God...he better not want me to go back into Rogue and Kitty's room..._  
  
"Heh heh heh..." Jamie's laugh was eerily chilling, and John shivered at the sound of it. "I won't tell anyone if you..." In that pause between words, John Jashback's heart stopped beating. "...if you show me your powers!"  
  
He let out a silent breath of relief. "Oh. Uh, sure. No problem."  
  
"Cool!" Jamie exclaimed, jumping up and down.  
  
"Er...I won't do it here in the hall. Let's head to my room," _If I remember where it is..._, "and I'll show you there."  
  
"Ok. Let's go."  
  
As it turned out, the particular hallway they were in happened to be where John's room was.   
  
Upon noticing that, Jamie exclaimed, "Hey, you're only two doors from the room I share with Roberto!"  
  
_That explains the teddy bear and the scorch marks._  
  
The younger boy practically danced around with excitement when they finally got into the room. "Show me show me show me show me show me!" he bubbled, as he jumped up and down.  
  
_Ah, to be young again... What the hell am I saying? I'm not an old man yet. But at this rate, it won't be long..._  
  
"Alright Jamie. Here's what we're gonna do. Grab my left arm and pull as hard as you can, ok?"  
  
Jamie nodded and John held out his arm. The multiplying mutant grabbed hold and John shifted his weight to the leg opposite the arm.   
  
"On the count of three, Jamie. One...two...three!"  
  
Jamie yanked hard, and John heard the familiar crack. He worked hard, steadying himself so he wouldn't fall, but Jamie fell and hit hard, arm in his hands. Upon impact, four multiples split from the main body.  
  
"Cooooool," they all said at once, each holding a multiple of John's arm.  
  
"Make a new arm!" shouted on multiple.  
  
"Another!"  
  
"Another!!!"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down...all of you," John said. "How about I got without an arm for a while? It kind of hurts, especially since I've done it twice today." He had to speak the last part loudly, over the disappointed cries of the Jamies. "I'll uh, show all of you in the morning."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yes, uh...Jamie."  
  
Most of them weren't even paying attention, as four of them were engaged in a deep battle, striking one another with the arms they held. And then an idea hit John, and he grinned like a kid in a candy store.  
  
"Get up you guys. Let's play a little game."  
  
"A game?"  
  
"What game?"  
  
"Let's play!"  
  
"I wanna play too!"  
  
"Yeahhh! A game!"  
  
"Ok guys," John began, "I want you to stand side by side. You," he said pointing at one the Jamies. "Get your arm. You'll need it for the game."  
  
Once they were lined up, John couldn't help but be proud. "You guys look like soldiers. I hereby name you the First Multiple Irregulars Division of uh, X Company." John grinned. "You're in the army now, boys!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
One of the Multiples held his arm like a rifle and starting shouting "bang bang" at the others. "You're dead," he shouted. Soon, they were all pretending to shoot each other with their copies of John's arm.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait!" John shouted. "There's something you 'soldiers' lack, and that's discipline! Line up again. Or should I say, get back in formation, men!"  
  
The Multiples lined up again and one even saluted.   
  
"Ok men. Atten-shun!" Half a beat late, all of the Jamies stood up straight and as tall as they could be.  
  
"Shoulder arms!" The Multiples looked at John confused. "That means hold the rifle against your right shoulder," he whispered.  
  
John held in his laugh, but barely. The sight of the five of them standing up straight with arms held against their shoulders...it was priceless.  
  
"Preeeesent arms!" Once again, John was given five very confused looks. "Hold it out in front of you with both arms extended," he told them.  
  
They nodded in agreement and quickly did what they were told. As they held their arms (both in the literal and metaphorical sense) out, John stifled another burst of laughter. The scene was so funny, and so ludicrous at the same time.  
  
"Ok, let's try it again and see if you get it. Shoulder arms!" In a not-altogether fluid motion, the five Multiples pressed the arms to their shoulders. "Preeeesent arms!" With better accuracy, they did as ordered. "Good. Now again..."  
  
They went at the motions a little while longer before finally getting them down straight. Of course, they were interrupted once or twice by a pounding on the wall, followed by a "SHUT UP!"  
  
"Excellent work men. At ease." As they looked at him questioningly again, he told them that it mean to hold the arm along their left side with one arm. Once situation, John began to pace in front of them, stopping at the Jamie in the middle.  
  
"You. Private uh..." he began. "Psst, what's your last name?"  
  
"Madrox," he giggled out.  
  
"Private Madrox! Front and center!"  
  
The middle Jamie stepped out and gave a mangled salute, to which John returned. "Present arms!"  
  
As all five Multiples picked up their 'arms,' John waved his one hand at them.   
"No no no. Just him," he said, pointing at the middle Jamie.  
  
Now...present arms!" The Jamie before him quickly brought the arm up to his shoulder and stiffened to attention. "Soldier, is that your weapon you are hold?" John barked out.  
  
"Uh..uh..I guess," the younger boy managed to say.  
  
"And what is the name of your weapon, soldier?"  
  
"Uh..uh...Jamie Junior," he said, almost sounding like a question.  
  
"Very well, soldier. You are hereby known as Private Junior. Fall back in ranks!"  
  
John pivoted on his boot heel and walked down to the Jamie on the far right end. Needing no talking, the mutant stepped forward and lifted his arm to his shoulder. John smiled in delight. They were really getting into this.  
  
"Private, what is the name of your weapon?"  
  
"Sir, my weapon is named 'Super Crusher,' sir!"  
  
"Super Crusher, eh? Very well, Private. You are hereby known as..." A grin spread across the Multiple's face. "...Private Snowflake!"  
  
All of the other Multiples, and John burst in laughter.  
  
"But...but...but," the Jamie protested. "I don't want to be Snowflake! I want to be Super Crusher!"  
  
John waved his finger in the boy's face. "Ah, ah. I never promised to name you after your weapon. Now fall back in, Private Snowflake!"  
  
The Multiple slumped his shoulders and muttered under his breath as he got back in line. John eventually got around to re-naming all of the Multiples: Privates Bobby, Shades, and Brotha Man, along with Snowflake and Junior.  
  
"Alright men," John commanded after the naming ended. "I order you men to lead me on an inspection of the premesis!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do I get to shoot anyone?"  
  
"I don't wanna be Snowflake..."  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
John softened from the drill sergeant persona for a moment and said, "I just want you guys to show me around the mansion. I didn't really get a chance to look around after I got here."  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"We're going on a mission!"  
  
"A 'top secret' mission!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"I don't wanna be Snowflake!"  
  
John smiled inside. They were really getting into this.  
  
_Well, I think this makes up my fiasco in the dining room earlier..._  
  
The Jamies danced around in delight, getting into character and starting to really enjoy themselves, but deep down, happy that someone paid attention to them, and the fact that they got to do something important and special. Well...to them it was.  
  
"Private Snowflake," John called out. "Are we ready to move out?"  
  
"I-DON'T-WANT-TO-BE-PRIVATE SNOWFLAKE!!!!!!"  
  
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Sorry for any goofiness you thought about this chapter. Jamie is the coolest of the New Mutants, and one of my favorite X-Men of all, and I just had to do something special with them.  



	7. The Ballad of Pantless McGee

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 7**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Thanks for the reviews and stuff.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the people or locations in this story, except John.  
  
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A one-armed John Jashback stepped out into the hallway outside of his room with the platoon of Jamies. They all stood in a row, holding duplicates of John's separated arm as if they were rifles.  
  
"Ok troops," he ordered. "Are we ready to commence with our mission?"  
  
"Sir, yes sir!" They shouted in unison.  
  
"Private Snowflake!" John called out to the Jamie at the front of the row.  
  
"That's it! I'm not gonna be Snowflake anymore!" he shouted, and the Multiple fused with the one next to him.  
  
John looked at the rest of the Multiples and asked, "So which one of you is the real Jamie?"  
  
"Me!"  
  
"No me!"  
  
"I am, I am!"  
  
"Ooh ooh, pick me! Pick me!"  
  
John rubbed his temples.  
  
_I'm going to have a killer headache by the time we're done..._  
  
Someone poked their head out of a room. "WILL YOU KEEP IT DOWN OUT HERE?"  
  
"Sorry Bobby," the Multiples said in unison.  
  
"Ok guys. Just toss the arms you're carrying in my room. If we keep this soldier routine up, I think we'll make some more people angry, and I don't want to wear out my welcome on my first day."  
  
Four identical voices from four identical Multiples cried out in protest but finally complied.  
  
"Can you guys show me around the mansion now?" John asked, after depositing a pile of left arms under his bed.  
  
The four Multiples led John down to the end of the hallway and began their tour, pointing out a door and it's occupants. The first door belonged to Scott, the second to Jean, Kitty and Rogue shared the third, with Kurt and Evan in the fourth room. The next room was the bathroom, and the next belonging to Bobby and Ray. Then came John's room, Rahne and Amara's room, and then the room Jamie shared with Roberto. One of the Multiples made sure that he poked his head into each of the rooms to make a face at the people inside, despite the cries of shock/terror/protest/anger from those within. Many threats to Jamie's life were made during that part of the tour.  
  
John laughed and said, "Jamie, you're going to get Jamie in a lot of trouble."  
  
The other stared around dumbfounded for a moment, before finally getting the bad pun and laughing. The real Jamie, or so John guessed, scolded his Multiple, who stopped harassing the other students, and the other Multiples fused together leaving the original Jamie as the only Jamie. The next room belonged to Jubilee and Sam, and the room at the very end of the hallway was another bathroom and an empty room. Here, the hallway went in two directions. To the left led to the Professor's study. The other way led to the rooms of the instructors, Logan, Ororo, and Mr. McCoy, and a few extra rooms. Eventually, Jamie showed John the remainder of the mansion and outside. John's ears perked to attention upon mentioning of the Danger Room.  
  
"Uh...The Danger Room?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah! It's really cool! It's where we go all our training. It's got laser beams and robots and all this cool stuff!"  
  
John gulped. "And when do we, uh, get to go in there?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning, before school."  
  
"Boy, I can hardly wait..."  
  
All in all, the mansion was a nice piece of work. Plenty of rooms, a pool, a tennis court, a large garden, a magnificent view of the sea, and so much expensive things, it wasn't even funny.  
  
"Where the heck does the money to pay for all this come from?" John asked.  
  
"I dunno. The Professor is a real rich guy."  
  
"Well, where does he get all his money from?"  
  
"You know...I never thought about that. I bet Scott knows, since he's been here the longest."  
  
John made a mental note to get that question answered.  
  
Jamie yawned and looked at the watch on his wrist. "It's getting kind of late. I think I'm gonna go to bed now."  
  
"Me too," John said. "I could use some sleep after this eventful day..."  
  
"Hey John?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I dunno. For spending time with me. Since I'm the youngest here, I get picked on and teased and I never get to do anything fun."  
  
John ruffled the young boy's hair. "No problem, buddy. Thanks for being so nice to a complete stranger."  
  
Jamie laughed at him. "I still can't believe how you and Kurt popped up in the dining room..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I don't see the big deal. It wasn't even six yet..."  
  
That only made Jamie laugh louder.  
  
"Hey Jamie? Can you uh, help me back to my room? I kinda forgot where it is..."  
  
**********  
  
John lay back in his bed, his head resting on his one arm. He grudgingly set his clock for ten minutes till six, not yet set to the vigorous schedule that the Institute ran on. Training, then school, and back for more training. The one-armed mutant whistled softly and mused over the day's events (again). Made a girl faint, made the same girl knock herself unconscious, and grossed out the same girl again later. Scared himself stupid after being crept up on by another students. Gorged himself on chocolates before making an embarrassing dinner entrance, followed by fainting, letting his hormones get the better of him while around a telepath, offending another girl, apologizing to the two girls, and forming a military unit comprised of himself and a 12-year old who could multiply, armed with John's left arm.  
  
_And I only thought people in the movies got themselves in these situations._  
  
Exhaustion finally set in, and John slowly drifted off to sleep, officially ending his first day at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.  
  
**********  
  
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep...  
  
The annoying beeping of the alarm clock drove John Jashback out the peaceful slumber he had been enjoying up until that moment. He reached over to shut it off, but had no luck. The arm his body was trying to use wasn't there. John sighed and sat up, turning off that infernal noise maker with his right arm. He stumbled out of his room and into the bathroom two doors down. He splashed cold water in his face, and looked at himself in the mirror. His bleary eyes were bloodshot, his hair in a twisted mess, not to mention he only had one arm.   
_God, I look like hell._  
  
He glanced over at the door and groaned.  
  
_It'd just be my luck that someone will walk in right now. And watch it be Kitty..._  
  
Seconds later, the door swung wide open and someone walked in.  
  
"C'mon John, get suited up for your first Danger Room training session."  
  
Scott wore a weird jumpsuit like the one John had, but his cool sunglasses were replaced with a visor.  
  
"Whoa man. Where's your arm?!?" Scott blurted.  
  
"Huh? Oh that. I'll get a new arm later," John said sleepily.  
  
"Uh. Yeah, you do that. I'll go wake those who thought they could sleep through a session," Scott replied before walking off down the hallway.  
  
The young mutant made his way back to his room and awkwardly pulled off his shirt and slid out of his pants. And now John Jashback faced his first true test as an X-Man - getting into his uniform with only one arm... ... ... ... Alright, so it wasn't that big of a test. John could have easily regenerated his arm, but it was far too early, and he far too tired. He grabbed the shirt and eased his head up and into it. He slid his one arm into the one sleeve and looked down at it contently. That was the easy part. John stuck a leg in the pants and prepared to stick in his other leg when he heard a knock on his door.  
  
"Uh..uh...uh...just a minute!" he said frantically.  
  
John stuck in his other leg and quickly tried to yank up the pants with his one arm. The knocking continued.  
  
"Uh... Hold on! I'll be out in a second!"  
  
He began pulling the pants up by the waist when the knocking started back up.  
  
"I said hold on! I'll be out in a...whoaaaa!" John's feet tripped over the sagging pant legs and he lost his balance. He lay sprawled out in the floor, shirt on, one arm gone, and pants around his ankles, a look of absolute despair on his face.  
  
_This day is just going to be great. I can tell already._  
  
He groaned wearily and slowly turned his head to face the door. "You can come in now."  
  
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	8. No Pants, Danger Room Observations, And ...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 8**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Of course, I really don't think you need that explained. Stuff that happens to be in **bold** or underlined just mean emphasis is placed on the word.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the people or locations in this story, except John.  
  
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Jamie Madrox poked his head in the door and saw John Jashback laying on the floor, clothes disheveled and pants around his ankles. He burst into a long and loud fit of laughter.  
  
"Oh man. Just kill me," John moaned.  
  
Jamie left the room momentarily, but outside John heard him yell, "Hey everybody! Come look! John can't get his pants on!"  
  
"Oh God. Kill me now," John moaned louder.  
  
The next thing the one-armed mutant realized, scores of the other students, primarily the younger ones, were gathered in his doorway, laughing heartily. John's face turned a bright shade of red, but he tried to block it out. Fist balled tight and teeth gritted, an arm burst out of his empty left socket and he pushed himself up with both. Ignoring the others, he stood up and put his pants on, along with his boots. Gloves in hand, John stood up, intending to leave his room but was stopped by the other students staring dumbfounded at him, jaws dropped to their feet.  
  
_Oh, that's right. They haven't seen my power._  
  
He walked up to the door, face to face with the others and said, "If you'll excuse me..."  
  
But they didn't move, as their eyes were glued to John's arm. As he moved his arm, their eyes followed. He barely managed to not laugh when they stared as he held his arm high in the air, and their looks followed as he brought it down to lower. John grinned evilly on the inside. He pulled back his arm and held it there for a moment, the others seemingly captivated by it. He wiggled his fingers and darted his arm forward, like a scorpion's tail striking, in between two people John couldn't remember (or was just too tired to remember, you decide). Some gasped, but all jumped backwards. In the midst of the crowd, John could hear Jamie giggle mischievously.  
  
Seizing their momentary shock, John pushed his way through the crowd who seemed to follow him, as if hypnotized. He went into the bathroom, cleaned off his arm, and put on his gloves. Looking in the mirror, he decided that he looked very much the fool, in his uniform with only one sleeve. The gloves looked especially stupid, so he shoved them in his pocket and walked back out.  
  
"So uh..." he said, "Which way's the Danger Room?"  
  
**********   
John stood up in the control booth overlooking the Danger Room with the man called Logan and the younger students. Below, the core six members; Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, and Evan (those being the core members because they had been at the Institute the longest John learned) were running a veritable gauntlet of hazards and pitfalls.  
  
"Are you listening, kid?" Logan growled.  
  
"Uh..uh...yes sir," John spluttered.  
  
"Then what did I just say?"  
  
"Never to uh, go in the Danger Room without a uh, instructor present, or uh, unless Scott is with me. Uh, sir."  
  
Logan growled and replied, "Don't you forget it either, bub."  
  
Down below, Evan fired a volley of spikes and destroyed a sentry gun. Kurt teleported Kitty behind a machine with electrified tentacles, who phased through it, short circuiting it. Jean deflected some incoming projectiles with a shield that John couldn't see. John pointed to Rogue, who was doing her best not to get hit by anything.  
  
"That's got to be hard on her. She can't actively defend herself."  
  
"And that's why you work as a team down there, kid. You're going to be facing the same problems as her. The same with Multiple boy. Which is why you work as a team. Alone, you stand no chance. Together, you survive. Watch her, and you'll see. The others are there when she needs them, and she's there when they need her," Logan told him.  
  
John leaned over and whispered to the person closest to him that wasn't an angry Canadian, who happened to be Sam. "He's a bit, uh, intense, isn't he?"  
  
"You aint seen nothin' yet, man. Just wait till he's down there with us..."  
  
John gulped and turned back to Logan. "So uh, when will I be going down there?"  
  
"Not in this session. You're an observer right now, but after school you're going to run a simulation with the others, and we'll see how you do," he said gruffly.  
  
John involuntarily rubbed his left arm and went back to watching the other students train.  
  
**********  
  
John stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, a towel hanging limply over his head. He had taken a shower after being dismissed from the training sessions, and dressed in the bathroom.  
  
_I don't know about anyone else around here, but I'm not about to try and walk to my room in nothing but a towel. Not yet, at least._  
  
Back in his room, John rummaged through the scant belongings he brought with him, finding his comb. He silently wished he had brought more things with him, because he didn't expect to be at the Institute for any long period of time.  
  
_I'll graduate next year, and then I can leave and go live a normal life. I hope. As if it's possible to live a normal life with your arm falls off. Oh well, if I need anything else, my parents can send it up here._  
  
He ran the comb through his hair, styling it in much of the same fashion that Scott used. It wasn't anything special - he'd been combing his hair like that for as long as he could remember. John's eyes drifted to the reflection of his arm in the mirror and involuntarily rubbed it.  
  
_In some ways, I guess I'm lucky._  
  
It was true. John was able to do what every amputee in the world dreamed they could do, to a limited extent. He went six months without an arm, and it was more than enough time for him to realize how much people take the simple things in life for granted. He always shuddered when he thought of those who had gone years like that. A knock at his door broke his thoughts away from his arm.   
"Come in."  
  
Jamie poked his head in the door and said, "Time for school. Let's go!"  
  
John stuck his schedule into his pocket along with some money and a pencil and grabbed his empty backpack and left the room with Jamie.  
  
"You know Jamie," John began, "I'm gonna get you back for what you did this morning."  
  
"Awww c'mon. I was only having a little fun." A smile brightened up his face. "And when you did that thing with your arm," he said, mimicking John's movements from earlier, "The look on their faces was priceless. I wish I had a camera." He broke into a fit of laughter.  
  
"Yeah yeah. That'll just teach me to not to sleep with an arm off again."  
  
John and Jamie and the other younger students piled into a van outside, the same one used to bring John to the Institute.  
  
"Where are they going?" John asked, pointing outside to Jean and Kitty walking side by side, while Evan sped past on his skateboard.  
  
"They ride to school with Scott. It's not fair, either, cause he's got a cool car."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Everybody ready?" called Ororo from the front. She waited for the round of "yes" to come from everyone before starting the van and heading down the long driveway.  
  
John couldn't help but feel awkward, sitting in the van. The others were all at least three years younger than him, and he was five years the elder to Jamie. He just shrugged and looked out the window while Jamie sat next to him chattering excitedly. It was just one of those things that happened. He was the new guy, only much older than the rest. He remembered the Professor exclaiming over his powers when he first met him.  
  
"You're quite the interesting lad, John. The X-gene which causes your abilities usually emerges upon reaching adolescence. Sometimes, however, there are extremes to this, such as you. Your genetic code contained the X-gene, but it was recessive. It's growth was triggered by your extreme emotional state after your accident. Had that not occurred, I believe you never would have gained the abilities you now have."  
  
Of course, that didn't exactly sooth John, or make him any more comfortable with being a mutant.  
  
"Don't take it hard, John. You have been blessed with a gift, and you should be proud that you had to amazing willpower to bring it forth."  
  
John still couldn't understand how his arm falling off could be called a gift. If he was lucky, he'd be limited to only his arm. The idea of his legs or even his head falling off didn't appeal to him. The Professor did manage to put John at ease by telling him that the chances of continued evolution of his mutant abilities were slim, due to the age at which they developed.  
  
They dropped off Jamie at the elementary school, and everyone else got off at Bayville High School.  
  
"John, remember to check in at the office before going to class," Ororo told him.  
  
"Yeah, ok. Sure. Uh, bye."  
  
As the van pulled away, John stepped into the school building with the other residents of the Institute. He looked around dumbfounded. "Uh guys? Which way to the uh, office?"  
The girls giggled and the guys laughed at him. Bobby motioned which way to go before saying, "See you later, Lefty."  
  
"Lefty?"  
  
"Yeah. Lefty."  
  
The girls giggled and the guys laughed him, and they all said, "Bye Lefty!"  
  
_Great. I haven't been here twenty-four hours, and I've already got a nickname. Well...I guess I should be flattered._  
  
John made his way through the throng of students to the office, and met with the principal. Mr. Kelley was a tall, gaunt fellow, with big square glasses and a pale complexion. He seemed like a nice guy in all respects, a happy, outgoing fellow. That was, until he learned that John was living in the Xavier Institute. His eyes narrowed and his tone grew more guarded, but he let John go without comment.  
  
_Weird guy._  
  
**********  
  
The first half of the school day passed in a blur. John's classes were predictably boring. He was smart enough for more advanced classes, but lacked the spirit and drive to take them. He had taken them in the previous two years of high school, but didn't much care for them. His teachers seemed alright, from the laid back ones to the dried up prunes who seemed to hate children. The other students gave him that once-over look; the kind that decided whether they thought you were pushover, a jerk, boyfriend-material, plain friend-material, smart, stupid, a freak, etc. John had given that look to people before. He doubted there was anyone who didn't. It was just one of those things teenagers did. The first half of the day was uneventful, yes, but when lunch rolled around, that's when things got interesting...  
  
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	9. A 'Shaky' Situation

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
_Chapter 9_  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. I love you all.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from this story, except John and his many extra arms.  
  
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John Jashback stood in the middle of the lunch line, pushing along his tray covered in what the FDA allowed to be called food. What they called 'mystery meat' looked to be a piece of shoe leather covered in gravy. He grudgingly handed over too much money for something they wouldn't feed to pigs. He stepped out of the line and stared across the wide expanse of the cafeteria.  
  
_Great. Let's see if I can find somewhere to eat...this without making myself look like a jackass._  
  
While he has busy mentally cursing himself, Kitty walked by and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Hey John. You can like, eat over here with us."  
  
'Us' turned out to include her, Evan, Scott, and someone John didn't recognize.  
  
"Hey uh, thanks for letting me sit here guys."  
  
"No problem, John. The first day is always kind of rough," Scott told him.  
  
"Yeah man. It's no biggie," said Evan.  
  
"Ya man. Ve X-Men stick together," the unnamed boy said.  
  
Coughing, John asked, "Kurt? Is that you?"  
  
They all looked at John with a puzzled look for a moment, and started laughing.  
  
"Did I uh, miss a joke or something?"   
  
"I vear a hologravhic image inducer to make me look normal so I can come to school," Kurt said pointing at the watch he wore on his wrist.  
  
"Oh...Oh! Ok. I get it now. I suppose you couldn't actually come here all furry and blue..."  
  
"Exactly, mein freund."  
  
Looking down at his tray, John said, "So...do they actually expect us to eat this stuff they try to pass off as food?"  
  
They all laughed and Kurt said in his accented English, "Ja. But ve eat it anyway." He punctuated that remark by shoving a forkful of something into his mouth.  
  
"Hey man, " Evan said, nudging John in the arm, "You gonna drink that Moo Juice?"  
  
John glanced to the mound of empty cartons in front of him and said, "You mean you haven't had enough yet?"  
  
"That's like, a side effect of his power. He totally has to drink a lot of milk," Kitty explained.  
  
"Oh...well uh, ok. Take it."  
  
"Thanks man! I've got a feeling we're gonna be good friends," Evan said, grinning.  
  
John cautiously dug into the food and slowly began to eat. Sure, it was notoriously awful, but cafeteria food is, no matter the school.  
  
"Hey Pretty Kitty."   
  
John looked up to see a tall-ish fellow with long brown hair, wearing a pair of old jeans, a black shirt, and a brown vest walking over to the table. He put his hands down and leaned over, grinning at the girl.  
  
"Like, hi Lance," she said, blushing.  
  
The boy, Lance, looked across the table at Scott. "How you doin', Shades?" he said dryly.  
  
Scott sighed. "What do you want, Alvers?"  
  
"What?" he said, holding his hands up, trying to look innocent. "I just wanted to say hi to my cutie Kat and the rest of you X-Geeks."  
  
"Man, Lance. You're almost as annoying as Maximoff, " Evan said.  
  
"Ya, man. Go back to those losers you call friends," the blue-furred German mutant said angrily.  
  
Lance ignored them and looked over in John's direction. "What're you lookin' at?"  
  
"Uh, I'm not quite sure. I would say 'jackass,' since these guys don't seem like you, but I won't since I pissed off Kitty yesterday and apologized yesterday and I don't want to open up that can of worms again," John told him. Only after that had come out of John's mouth had he realized he shouldn't have said it.  
  
Lance stared at him for a second, dumbstruck, while Scott, Kurt, and Evan laughed. Kitty had a very neutral look on her face.  
  
_Aw hell. I just screwed up bad. Dammit, why didn't I just not say anything? Well, it's too late to go back now..._  
  
Lance walked over to John, and pulled him up by the scruff of his shirt and eyed him.  
  
"Lance, leave him alone!" Kitty yelled.  
  
"Back off Alvers..." Scott warned.  
  
"You must be new, huh?" He shook his head, as if he pitied John. "I think I should give you a little lesson on why you shouldn't mess with me." He balled his free hand into a fist and pulled his arm back. John only smiled. Before Lance could throw his punch, Scott grabbed his arm and spun him around.  
  
"I said back off," the older mutant said.  
  
Kurt and Evan stood up and looked at Lance menacingly.  
  
Lance sneered and shrugged Scott's hand off him. "Whatever." He began to walk away, but stopped and turned around, pointing at John. "This aint over between us."  
  
John turned and looked at the others. "Uh...thanks guys. I guess I shouldn't have let my mouth run like that... I hope I didn't cause any of you any trouble." John looked over at Kitty, who was sitting and staring down at the table. He couldn't tell from her expression if she was on the brink of crying or screaming. "Oh man...uh...I'm really sorry about that, Kitty... Honest. I didn't mean for that to happened," John said apologetically.  
  
She stood up and shouted, "Why don't you guys ever just leave him alone?!" She grabbed her backpack from the table and stormed off.  
  
"But I...I said I was sorry.." John trailed off.  
  
He watched her until she was out of sight before slumping back down into his seat. And then he dropped his head into his hands.  
  
_Jesus...There has got to be some kind of way out of this._  
  
Scott gave him a pat on the back and said, "Don't worry about it. She'll get over it, and besides, she shouldn't be with Alvers anyway."  
  
"Ja," said Kurt. "She can do much better."  
  
"Man, but was Rocky mad... You better watch yourself, bro," Evan told John.  
  
"Who was that guy...Lance, anyway?"  
  
"He's the leader of the Brotherhood. They're misfit mutants who don't exactly like us," Scott explained.  
  
"Oh. I see. How many of them are there?"  
  
"There's Alvers, Quicksilver, Toad, Blob, and Boom Boom."  
  
"Eh?" John asked. "What's with all the funny names?"  
  
"Oh, those," Scott said, blushing slightly. "We've all got codenames we go by when training or on missions. My codename is Cyclops. Evan's is Spyke, Kurt's is Nightcrawler, and Kitty's is Shadowcat."  
  
"Uh-HUH. So when I do get my codename?"  
  
"Hrm. Probably at your first training session."  
  
"So...this Brotherhood. Why do they not like us?"  
  
"Long story," Kurt said.  
  
"Ok...well, what do they look like?" John asked.  
  
"Oh, you'll know when you see 'em," Evan said.  
  
John groaned. "I really shouldn't have pissed him off... The same with Kitty. I screwed up bad with her yesterday and got back in her good grace's, but I don't know if she'll accept another apology. She's got to think I'm the biggest jerk in the world."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Scott said. "She'll be fine, and don't beat yourself up for it. I don't think Alvers will try anything with you. He knows enough that if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."  
  
John nodded solemnly and tried to return to eating the miserable excuse for food on his tray, but even if it had filet mignon, it would have tasted like ashes all the same.   
  
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	10. The Dangers of Angering a Walking Fault ...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 10**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. I love you all. Thanks for the feedback people. I loved how the feedback for Chapter 8 prayed for the Brotherhood to arrive. You people must be mind readers, or I'm just pretty predictable. Anyway, thanks. You all rock. I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own John and his many extraneous limbs.  
  
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As John Jashback left the cafeteria, he looked down at his schedule and tried to figure out where exactly he was supposed to go next.  
  
"History," the paper read. "Room C-16."  
  
_Well that helps a lot. Where the hell is room C-16? There doesn't happen to be a map around here, does there...?_  
  
He sighed on walked into the mob of students milling about, searching for his next class.  
  
**********  
  
Lance Alvers was leaning against a row of lockers when he spotted the new X-Geek that had been at the table with Kitty wandering down the hall, apparently looking for something. Lance smiled and knew that if he had any hopes for coming through with his promise for revenge, it had to be now before Summers or any of the other goodie-goodies showed up to save this kid's bacon. He began walking down the hall in the same direction as the new guy, who knew never what hit him...  
  
**********  
  
Room C-10, C-11, C-12....  
  
_Well, I think I found it..._  
  
A hand tightly gripped John's shoulder and spun him around. Before he knew what was happening, a sharp blow struck John in his face, blurring his vision. Pain lanced itself through his entire body. He brought his hands up to his face when another sharp blow struck him in the stomach. He doubled over and gagged, the wind having been knocked out of him. As his hands clutched his stomach, John felt two sharp, simultaneous blows; one on the back of his neck and the other across his chest. John lost his balance and collapsed in a heap on the floor, blacking out. He never knew what hit him...  
  
**********  
  
_Am I dead? Please tell me I'm dead, because I hurt too damn much to want to stay alive._  
  
John slowly and carefully opened his eyes, and found his vision horribly blurred. One of them seemed to want to stay shut, so he let it. He was in no condition to argue, because the rest of his body felt like one giant throbbing knot of pain and his ears were engaged in an endless ringing. A low moan escaped his lips.  
  
"Please tell me I'm dead..." he muttered softly and slowly. Even talking seemed to hurt.  
  
"No, I'm afraid you aren't dead," a voice replied.  
  
"Who's talking? I can't open my eyes. It hurts too much. Even talking hurts," John said, laughing. The laughter soon turning to coughing, and job felt like a lung was going to come up. After the wheezing subsided, he said, "Remind me not to do that again."  
  
"I'll be sure not to do that," the voice said, sounding very amused.  
  
"You didn't answer me before I tried to spit up my internal organs. Who's talking?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," the voice said. "Maybe..."  
  
_Me._  
  
John's heart skipped a beat there and he burst into another coughing fit.  
  
"Are you alright?" the voice asked, a feminine voice. A familiar voice, too.   
  
And then John realized who it was and his face turned red. There isn't exactly a whole village full of women with telepathy.  
  
"Y..yeah. I'll be fine." John managed to form a sickly grin on his face, even if he couldn't see and even if he wasn't facing any particular direction. "W...what are you doing here, Jean?" he asked, stuttering.  
  
"I serve as the nurse's assistant two day's out of the week during a couple of my class periods. The nurse is at lunch right now; she decided you weren't too badly beaten up and all you needed was rest, which meant it was okay to leave you here with me," she explained.  
  
"O..oh. I see. That means I'm the nurse's office, huh?"  
  
"That's right," she told him. "That was quite the roughing up Lance gave you. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Lance..." The words seemed to drip with loathing from his mouth. "As for how I feel, I feel awful," he said bluntly.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said in soothing tones.  
  
"I don't feel awful because of what he did to me. I feel awful for what I did to Kitty."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Lunch today. I was eating with Kitty, Scott, Evan, and Kurt. Lance showed up, and I wasn't exactly the friendliest person to him. And it upset Kitty a lot. That's why I feel bad. For her."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment before Jean spoke up again. "Well, maybe it's for the better. She can do so much better than that guy. I'd rather she date Toad than Avalanche."  
  
"Avalanche?" John asked. "Is that the 'codename' for Lance?" he asked wryly.  
  
"Yes it is," she replied.  
  
"And what's yours?"  
  
"I don't have one."  
  
"You don't have a special name?"  
  
"No, I don't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Not sure. I've just never had one."  
  
"Oh. So...what all uh...did Lance do to me?"  
  
"It wasn't too bad," she told him. "He gave you a nice black eye, and that's it. We were just keeping you here until you woke up, and then you can go on back to the Institute."  
  
John slowly opened one eye, and then tried the other, attempting to figure out which was the hurt one. Finding it, he sat up and stared at the redhead with another sickly grin on his face. "So how do I look?"  
  
Her face contorted temporarily, not marring her beauty one bit in John's eye, before she started laughing. "You look great," she told him. She got up and handed him something. "You'll look even better with this on," giving him an ice pack.  
  
"Heh, thanks. So er, whoa, that's cold!" he exclaimed. "So er, uh...do any of the...others...know about this?"  
  
"Not that I know of. After Lance got done with you, a couple teachers grabbed him, and a third brought you here. I haven't felt any tremors, so I guess Lance didn't get all worked up from getting in trouble."  
  
"Uh...tremors?"  
  
"That's his ability - he controls the seismic waves in the ground."  
  
John groaned. "I sure picked the right guy to get angry at me... He makes earthquakes and my arm falls off."  
  
Jean sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I don't think he'll try it again. I don't think the Brotherhood is *that* stupid. And I hope you aren't thinking of getting any revenge either."  
  
"What? Uh, me? No, no. Don't worry. I won't, " he lied. Inside he was seething with anger.  
  
_I'm not letting him off that easy... I don't care what anyone says.._  
  
And then suddenly John stiffened.  
  
_You idiot! She's a telepath! She can read your mi..._  
  
John flicked his one eye in Jean's direction, and she wore an angry frown with one eyebrow arched. His face turned as red as her hair and he looked down at the floor.  
  
"I mean it, John. Don't try anything..."  
  
The bruised young man stared at the floor for a moment before replying. "I won't. I mean, there's no real point in fighting. He beat me up, and if I go back for revenge, it doesn't make things easier on either of us. If he beats me a second time, I'll be even more embarrassed. If I beat him, he'll be pining for revenge and come back after me. It's a big, stupid cycle. I'll just be the mature one and put a stop to it right now."  
  
"Good," Jean said, patting his back. She got up, as much as John wished she wouldn't, and went over to the phone. "I'll just give the Professor a call, and we'll get you back home. Maybe you'll have a better first day tomorrow."  
  
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You know, there are some liberties you can make in a world like this where some details just aren't given. That's one of the great things about being an author - being able to sometimes bend things to fit your will. Remember that. Carry on, citizens.  



	11. Training With The Wolverine

uThere Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of HereuChapter 11br  
Author's Note: Stuff in /i are thoughts. I love you all. And I realized something. Feedback is like a drug - you can't get enough of it.br   
br  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own John, and um, a bunch of old Iron Man comics.br  
John lay in his bed back at the Institute and stared up at the ceiling.iWhat the hell am I doing here?br  
He had been asking himself that question since he came home from school. The only clear answer he could come up with was that fate was working against him. All of the cosmic powers that makes the universe work were against John Jashback living at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. It was the only logical answer. Why else would all of this have happened to him? But everything led back to Lance Alvers, for the lack of a better word, jumping him from behind.br  
His thoughts were thankfully interrupted by a hard rapping on his door. John hopped up off the bed and went over to the door. Upon opening it, he was confronted by the person he least expected to see.br  
"Alright kid, listen up. Since this is your first test, we're gonna take things easy," the growling voice bellowed through a loudspeaker. "All you have to do is make it to the end of the course without gettin' yerself killed. Ready?"br  
John nodded, but butterflies the size of tanks were floating around his stomach.iSimple enough... I mean, how hard can it be?br  
"Ok kid. GO!"br  
A loud buzzer sounded, and all hell broke loose. A large gun popped up out of the wall and began firing at John. He ducked the first few shots before taking off in a sprint along the course. The next thing John knew, giant spikes began to rise up out of the floor. His floor slipped on the slope of one and lost his balance, landing hard on the metal floor. Another spike popped up awfully close to John's head, who nearly wet himself.br  
"Hurry up kid," the gruff voice on the loudspeaker warned. br  
John stood up, half-hunched over, trying to dodge floor spikes and sentry guns. Up ahead, a large steel wall began to come up out of the floor. John sped up his pace and dove over the wall that had been steadily rising and came to a rolling stop just beyond it. His heart pounding in his chest - John wasn't out of shape, but he wasn't in top physical form either. He darted forward past more spikes, this time coming up out of the floor and from the wall, but stopped in his tracks when another sentry gun popped up and fired three quick bursts at him. He wasn't quite fast enough to evade them this time. The first burst missed, and the second hit him on his exposed left arm. The third hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards hard against the metal wall. John howled in pain and clutched his left arm, and the buzzer sounded again. And it stung. It stung badly. Very badly. "Hold on kid, I'm coming!" the voice called out over the loudspeaker.br  
"Oh my God that stings!" he shouted loudly. He pulled his hand away from his exposed arm and looked down at it. It was red, very red, but there was no superficial damage. He looked down at his chest, but there was no way to tell that it had just been hit by anything. But his arm still stung. A door slid open and Logan came running into the Danger Room and crouched beside John.br   
br  
"How you feelin'?" he asked.br  
"Got the wind knocked out of me. And my arm stings, bad."br  
"Your suit helps absorb some of the shock, but since you've got no cover on that arm, you've got nothing to protect you. C'mon," he said, pulling John to his feet. "Let's get you an ice pack."br  
"For my eye, sure," John said. "But I don't need one for my arm." Wincing, he took a tight grip on his left wrist and pulled hard, the joints between his body and arm cracking. He held his arm in his right hand and waved it at Logan. "There, it doesn't hurt anymore."br  
Logan looked at him sideways, and gave him as much of a smile as the gruff man allowed.br  
"That's a handy talent you got there. Any other parts do that?"br  
"No uh, only my arm, and I'm glad. It lets me retain as much of my normalcy as I can."br  
Logan grunted and began to walk away. "C'mon kid, let's get you that ice pack. Maybe we can find a less dangerous way to get you in training."br  
John Jashback slowly and unsteadily lowered himself with his one arm. Once his body was back against the ground, he slowly and unsteadily pushed himself up with his one arm.br  
He lowered himself slowly, and exhaled loudly when his body hit the floor again.br  
"Don't stop kid. Only thee more to go. Come on. You don't want happened at school to happen again, do ya, bub?" Logan told him.br  
"You know the right buttons to push, don't you?" John said before he resumed his push-ups with a renewed vigor. And Logan did. It didn't matter what he had told Jean earlier. The incident in the Danger Room made him realize how vulnerable he was, and it made him feel weak. Lance had made him feel weak. He could have cared less about him after what happened at lunch, but what he did afterwards was cowardly and low. John wasn't one to hold a grudge, but exceptions could be made in his case.br  
John was so busy murdering Lance in his head that he didn't hear Logan tell him to stop. The older mutant smiled and quietly left the room. The younger mutant kept up his one-armed push-ups for another minute before collapsing with exhaustion.br  
"H..hey Logan? How many was that?"br  
More silence.br  
"Mister Impolite I-Don't-Answer-People-Half-The-Time-They-Talk-To-Me?" John asked brazenly.iIf he heard me say that, I'm dead.br  
John swallowed hard and rolled his head around to look at where Logan had been sitting, but he was gone. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, both in relief and tiredness. His eyes searched around the room, seeing no Canadian mutants hiding in the room and hoisted himself up with his one arm. He wiped his face off on his shirt and forced out a new left arm. Rolling back onto his stomach, he returned to his push-ups.br  
John opened his eyes and looked around groggily. He was still in the weight room. Sitting up while wiping his chin off with a shirt sleeve, he looked down at the mat he had fallen asleep on, and the small pool of saliva.iAw Christ. I drooled in my sleep.br  
Using his shirt again in one of it's unintended purposes, he cleaned up the puddle. His arms ached from all the exercising he had done. John sat for a moment, running his fingers through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts, before finally noticing the person standing in the doorway.br  
Eyes wide, he said, "H..hey. Wh...What...What're you doing here?"br 


	12. Dreams, Hunting, and Firefighting

uThere Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of HereuChapter 12br  
Author's Note: Stuff in /i are thoughts. And I love all of you. Cassie-bear01, this one's for you, baby.br  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own my original character, John Jashback, who's arm falls off.br  
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"You're the last person I expected to see here," John said, looking at the person standing in the doorway of the exercise room.br  
Kitty Pryde took a step forward and smiled seductively at John. "Oh? And why is that?" Her voice sounded very amused.br  
"Well uh...you know, because what happ..." He paused and swallowed hard. "I had assumed after what happened at lunch today...I was sure I wouldn't be your favorite person right now." As much as his knees wanted to fail him, John stood up.br  
Kitty walked right up to John and placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him, smiling innocently. She reached her hand to John's face and tenderly felt his black eye. "It's a shame Lance gave this to you," she began. "You're much too cute to get in a fight." She laughed delightfully, but her eyes were...smoky.br  
John was doing his best to maintain his composure and keep his anxiety bottled up. He was not the best when it came to girls. In fact, he always managed to make an ass of himself with any girl he had any interest in. John opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was completely dry. No discernable words came out, only hoarse noises.br  
"Shhh..." Kitty whispered, placing her finger over his lips. "Don't speak. Just kiss..." Her voice trailed off as she wrapped her hands behind John's head, pulling him down to her level. Her eyes were like two deep, blue pools that John wanted to drown himself in. Kitty pulled John closer and pressed her soft lips to his, and all rational thought flew out the window...br  
John Jashback opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, confused and disoriented. He blinked hard and looked around, still in the exercise room. He bolted upright and looked around the room frantically. He was alone.iIt must have been a dream...br  
He gently touched his lips, but they felt cold and dry, but his heart was beating a mile a minute. He sighed and hung his head low.iMaybe if I go to sleep again, I'll go back to where the dream left off...br  
John smiled happily closed his eyes, trying to recreate the moment he was ripped away from.br  
A noise outside the room yanked him out of his blissful euphoria. He sighed once again and stood up, and poked his head out of the room. There, crouched down by the door was a giggling Jamie Madrox.br  
John coughed and startled the younger boy, who looked up and grinned impudently. "Uh...hi, Lefty," he said, not quite sure whether it was a statement or a question.br  
"Lefty?" John asked.br  
Jamie giggled and pointed to John's arm. "It's what some of the others named you, cause you know...your arm..."br  
John raised and eyebrow and looked at him coolly. "Ok then...Snowflake." Now it was John's turn to grin like an idiot.  
br  
The multiplying-mutant's face darkened. "Don't call me Snowflake."br  
"Then don't call me Lefty."br  
"Ha! Sure...Lefty!" Jamie spun around and sprinted down the hallway.br  
"Ooooh, you're gonna get it, Snowflake!" John roared, chasing after the younger boy.br  
The hunter crept silently down the hallway, stalking it's prey. The hunter's eyes darted about, searching in every direction, while the hunter's nose sniffed, trying to track the scent of the prey. Up ahead, something darted out from behind it's cover, fleeing from the oncoming threat. The hunter dove off in pursuit, for the hunt was on again.br  
The hunter paused at the junction it had come across. Three ways to go, but only one was the correct path. The hunter stared down each fork, before determining which was the correct one to take. Nose to the wind, the hunter resumed it's search for the quarry.br  
The hunter's head darted back and forth, searching for any sign, any sign at all of it's prey. The hunter had a sinking premonition that it had followed the wrong route in it's pursuit. The hunt was called off.br  
John Jashback leaned against a wall, strumming his fingers on his head. He lost Jamie's track when he came to the three forks in the hall corridor. Jamie had gotten away, but John was very much lost. Feeling a tingle in the small of his back, John reached around, trying to scratch it, but it was a lost cause. Until...iI can't believe I never thought of it before.br  
John detached his left arm from his body, nodding contently. Reaching around the back, he began to scratch the itch with no problem whatsoever.br  
"Oooooh yeah. That feels good. I can't believe I never thought of this before. Ooooooh man. I finally found a good use for my power!"br  
Amara Aquilla was walking down one of the numerous hallways that honeycombed through the mansion. You could almost get lost in there, if you were by yourself. She ran a hand through her long, black hair and suddenly came to an abrupt stop.br  
"Oooooh yeah. That hits the spot. Mmmmmm," an unfamiliar voice was saying.br  
Amara rubbed her hands together and a ball of fire formed in her palm. She held it carefully as she turned a corner and saw the new kid, scratching his back with...his...arm...br  
The girl fainted and fell to the floor, the fire she held hitting the ground next to her...br  
A loud thump caught John Jashback's attention, and he turned to see a girl, either Amara or Jubilee; he wasn't sure because they looked so alike to him, fall to the ground and a fire ignite next to her. Reacting quickly, John rushed over and grabbed hold of her leg, pulling her away from the rapidly growing flames. Once he had her off to the side, he ran over and began to stomp on the fire, but it didn't seem to help.br  
"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap," John was spouting loudly, very nearly in panic. But strangely, the cursing seemed to put him at ease.br  
He pulled off his shirt and began to beat at the fire with it. The intense heat of the flames quickly ignited the shirt, and John dropped it and stamped out the flames on it. He looked around, head jerking back and forth, looking for anything he could use to quell the fire. In his mind, he called out frantically for help, hoping the Professor or someone would hear him. John snatched a vase from a small table and poured the water on the fire. Much of the water became steam before it even hit the flames. John groaned loudly and looked down at his pants and realized they were his only available option...br  
Praying to God and Jesus and Buddha and Vishnu and Allah and any other religious deity that he could come up with, praying that no one would show up at that very moment because... The young mutant forced out a new arm, and quickly unbuckled his pants, thanking himself for not using the restroom that day...br  
John's plan did not succeed in putting out the fire. It helped stop the spread of the flames, but did no real help. John swore loudly and yanked off his shoes. Sliding off his pants, he used them to beat at the flames, which were growing hotter by the second. Using one arm to fight the flames, he used the other to grab hold of the unconscious girl's arm and pulled her back further before planting himself in front of her, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and wielding his pants as if it was really a water hose and said, "C'mon fire. Make my day, " he said, in his best Clint Eastwood impression. With a mighty roar, John Jashback dove at the fire, wildly flailing about his pant legs, whipping at the fire before him. Before he knew what was happening, the flames vanished, disappeared, leaving only wisps of smoke in the air.br  
"What the..." he trailed off. His eyes brightened when he saw Professor Xavier wheel himself around the corner. Behind him came Jean and Scott, who's faces soon transformed into twisted, contorted shapes. And it hit John like a ton of bricks - here he was, standing in his boxer shorts, a pair of charred pants in hand, an unconscious girl behind him and a stretch of charred carpet in front of him. It wasn't exactly a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. John shoulders slumped, and his knees gave out. He crumpled onto his knees and buried his face in his hands, sobbing pitifully.br  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------br  
I just want you all to know - I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this story. I have pretty much nothing set for the future, except for a few things which will come much later in the story. But so you know, I'm writing most of this on a wing and prayer. I just really hope you like it.br 


	13. The Streak and New Attitudes

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 13**  
  
Author's Note: You know, the usual. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own my original character, John Jashback, who's arm falls off.  
  
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John Jashback sat slumped on his knees, nearly naked, face in his hands, crying pathetically. An unconscious girl lay sprawled on the floor behind him, and Professor Xavier, Scott, and Jean were watching him quizzically. His mind was a tumbled mess, as it often was since he had arrived at the Institute. And then abruptly, he stopped crying and he began laughing. Insane, maniacal laughter.  
  
_Oh yes. This is like icing on the cake. On a great big cake built by my idiocy._  
  
Scott walked over and put his hand on John's shoulder. "Are you uh, ok?"  
  
As quickly as the transition from sobbing to laughter hit, John stopped laughing. He looked up at Scott and gave him a false smile. He stood up and wiped his eyes of any tears that remained.  
  
"Am I ok? I'm just fine," he lied. He pointed over to the fallen girl and said, "But you might want to go check on her. She kind of freaked when she caught me scratching my back with my arm, which started this whole mess," pointing at the scorch marks on the floor and an arm laying on the floor. He then pointed to his charred shirt and pants which he hoped would explain why he was clad only in his boxers. "I'll just uh, head back to my room now..." John collected the charred remains of his clothing, his shoes, and his extra arm and headed on down the hallway from where the others had come. He could feel everyone's eyes on his back, but he didn't allow himself to turn around.  
  
_I've been through enough shit in the last twenty-fours, that I just don't care._  
  
"Professor, I don't think we should..."  
  
The Professor cut him off. "Let him be, Scott. He's needs to think things over himself. He will come to us if he requires our assisstance."  
  
John never would have acted in such a way in front of others. Then again, he wouldn't be clad in only boxer shorts in front of others, at least not other men. But frankly, he didn't care. He had been through enough already that he just didn't care anymore. Of course, by just walking away from the others, John found himself in much of the same situation as he was only moments before - lost. And this time, he was lost and nearly naked.   
  
"Whoa! What happened to you?" a voice said, very startled. John looked up to see someone talking to him, but the faces seemed blurred, and so he walked on without another word. That happened quite a bit on his trek back to his room, wherever it was. Some inquired on why he was half naked, and others just stared. He made it into the mansion foyer and noticed Evan and Rogue talking, which meant he was close to his room. They both asked what had happened, but he ignored them. John calmly walked up the stairs and down a hallway before finding his room - the sleeve was still tied around the knob - and he walked inside, not bothering to shut the door. He dropped everything he was holding into a heap and collapsed onto the bed.  
  
Fate had to be against him. It was the only reasonable explanation. For some reason, it was in God's divine plan that he not be here. Either that, or a side-effect of John's power was horrifically bad luck. He liked that idea. That certainly would explain it.  
  
_No._  
  
John shook his head hard.   
  
_Ok, dammit, some crazy stuff has happened to me, but I'm going to stop blaming it on something else. From now on, I'm just gonna go with the flow of things._  
  
Someone knocked on his door. John ignored it. Why would they bother to knock if the door was open?  
  
"John? Are you in there?" a voice called from outside. It sounded like Jamie.  
  
Jamie poked his head into the room. "Hey. Where were you after school? I wanted to talk on the ride back. Did something happen to you?"  
  
"Heh. You could say that," John muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
John sat up and looked at Jamie. "Sorry. I got into a fight at school, came back here, fell asleep while I was working out, chased you when I woke up, and scared one of the girls, starting a fire."  
  
Jamie frowned. "No fair! All the fun stuff happens when I'm not around."  
  
"You know Jamie, I envy you sometimes. I really do."  
  
"What's 'envy' mean?"  
  
John laughed, remembering his days of innocence. "Don't worry about it, bud."  
  
"Oh, ok," Jamie said. "Wanna go do something with me?"  
  
"Yeah sure. Just let me put some clothes on." When he saw Jamie had no idea that meant get out of his room, he shushed him away and closed the door.  
  
Finding a new shirt and pair of pants, he pulled them on and stared at his burnt pair.  
  
_I'm gonna have to get a job or something, and buy new clothes. At this rate, I'll be going to school in a towel...or naked_  
  
John got dressed and went outside. "Ok, so whatcha wanna do, Snowflake?"  
  
Jamie narrowed his eyes and looked at the older mutant. "C'mon Lefty," he said, his voice full of mock scorn, "Let's go watch some TV."  
  
Right about that time, John's stomach began to rumble. "Uh...by chance, is there a TV in the kitchen?"  
  
**********  
  
John and Jamie walked into the kitchen and found it empty, with the exception of Kurt, busy rooting around the refrigerator. Jamie turned on the TV and sat down, happily watching some cartoon John didn't recognize. Kurt looked up, and sat down next to John.  
  
"Is vhat I heard true?" he asked.  
  
John had a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Uh, what did you hear?"  
  
"You and Avalanche got into a fight at school."  
  
"It wasn't exactly a fight... He snuck up on me after lunch and uh, beat me up. I didn't see him coming so I didn't have a chance."  
  
"So that's what happened..." a voice said from behind the two. John turned around and saw Evan standing in the doorway. A large spike popped out from his arm. He pulled it out and spun it in his hands. "I say we go get him back for it."  
  
John shook his head. "No, no, no! If I want to get him back, I'll do it myself. But I'll probably just let it be. I don't want to do anything else I'll regret. I've had plenty of that already today."  
  
"Yeah man," Evan replied. "What was with you walking through here in your boxers earlier?"  
  
"Oh er uh...uh...I tried to uh...put out a uh...fire, and uh...there wasn't anything I could use except uh...my clothes." John stared at the floor, his face a bright crimson.  
  
"What was that?" called Scott, appearing behind Evan.  
  
John groaned.  
  
"I guess that explains what happened earlier. You know, the fire and Amara," Scott said, taking a seat next to John.  
  
"Whoa! You didn't say anything about a girl..." Evan said, nudging John in the ribs.  
  
"Ja man. Vere you two doing a little something vhen the fire started?" Kurt said, winking and grinning like an idiot.  
  
John threw up his arms in exasperation. "No! I was scratching my back," he said, ignoring their confused looks, "She got a little startled, I think, when she saw me, and she fainted and started a small fire. I pulled her out of the way and used uh...what was available at the time to put out the flames."  
  
By the time John had finished explaining, everyone in the room was laughing, except Jamie, deeply enthralled by the cartoon he was watching.  
  
Scott stopped laughing for a moment and slapped John on the back. "Oh man. It's a good thing we showed up when we did, or you'd be trying to smother the flames with your boxers..." He returned to his laughing, obviously pleased with what he said.  
  
"Oh man, now that's bad. You just got punked by Scott," Evan crooned.  
  
"Ja, Mr. Uptight got you good," Kurt said, grinning.  
  
Scott looked up. "Hey, I'm not **that** bad...am I?"  
  
The two younger X-Men broke into another fit of laughter, directed at Scott this time.  
  
It was John's turn to slap Scott on the back. He knew his pain all too well.  
  
_On the bright side, at least they aren't laughing at me anymore._  
  
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	14. Love and Basketball

uThere Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of HereiChapter 14br  
Author's Note: Stuff in /i are thoughts. And I love all of you.br  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own my original character, John Jashback.br  
Before John knew what was happening, everyone in the Institute had flocked to the dining room to hear about John's fight and the fire. Everyone except Amara, Kitty and the Professor, John noticed. Jamie, who had been totally oblivious when John told the story to Kurt, Evan, and Scott, stared wide-eyed at John the whole time. Everyone seemed to want to know every detail of the fire incident, especially the many ways John tried to put out the fire. He indulged them, but shied away from his, erm, more unorthodox method. He received offers from Jean, Jubilee, and Rahne to go clothes shopping, and reluctantly accepted even when the other males in the room shook their heads. Shopping with girls was are very bad idea, but hey, he needed more clothes if he was gonna be burning the pairs he had. That's what he tried to believe, and what he told the others. If they believed...they was a different story. He agreed to go on the coming Saturday, only two days away. Evan ran his finger across his throat and Kurt insisted he was signing his own death warrant.iIt can't be that bad...can it?br  
Before anyone had more questions to ask about fire or shopping, the Professor came in, followed by Amara, which quickly ceased all talking.br  
"I believe we should leave these two alone for the moment," the Professor said, ushering everyone out of the room. Amara's cheeks reddened for a moment, and the same could be said for John. Jamie protested, he didn't understand why they had to leave.iYou'll know in a year, Jamie. And it'll be the only thing you know.br  
Many of the girls flashed knowing smiles and the guys gave John a thumbs up. Logan rolled his eyes and Rogue shook her head in annoyance. John smacked his palm against his forehead and stared at the tabletop.iI don't know what they're expecting. She's much too young for me. Besides, I don't think I should exactly be 'trolling' for girls right now, as much as my hormones disagree.br  
After everyone had left the room, the two sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, shifting uncomfortably in their chairs, staring at the table and not wanting to say anything. Finally John swallowed deeply and spoke.br  
"So uh..." John began. "You uh...feeling better?"br  
"Yes..." she murmured quietly, still looking down at the table. "Listen, I uh..."br  
"No need to apologize," John blurted out. "I mean, I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn't been there to startle you, it wouldn't have happened at all. So uh...sorry." John reached his hand out across the table and set it on hers. She flinched and pulled her hand back, not exactly realizing it.br  
"O..oh, I..I'm sorry," she said, blushing brightly. "It's just...you arm and, you know...what you can do..."br  
John nodded. It was too true. "That's ok. I'll be fine as long as you're ok," he said, smiling.br  
She looked up and smiled nervously back, still blushing. "Ok...well...thanks." She got up walked to the doorway, pausing to look back and smile more brightly as John. He waved and she waved back quickly and rushed out of the room.br  
John loosened his shoulders and fell back into his chair, exhaling loudly. He sat in relative calmness, until his stomach began to grumble louder.br   
iOh yeah. I never managed to get any food...br  
John stood up out of his chair and headed over to the refrigerator and said musingly, "I wonder if they have any ham around here..."br  
It didn't take long after Amara had left for the male residents of the Institute, minus Scott and the obvious adults, to come rushing back in. And a million questions were asked at once.br  
"What happened?"br  
"Did you ask her out?"br  
"Did she ask you out?"br  
"Are you two a couple now?"br  
"Did you kiss her?"br  
"Can I have your ham sandvich?"br  
John took notice of that last question. "No Kurt, you can't have my ham sandwich. I haven't eaten any real food all day. I think I deserve this."br  
Kurt frowned, but went over to the pantry to get himself some food anyway.br  
As for the others...br  
"Look guys, I don't know what you were expecting. She came to apologize for the fire, that's all."br  
"Oh yeah? Is that why she was all blushing and looking excited when she left?" said Evan.br  
"Yeah man. I think she ran upstairs to go gab to the others about you!" said Bobby.br  
Everyone else rang up with similar responses. John groaned.iIf she had any interest in me, she certainly didn't show any.br  
"Are you guys serious?" John asked. "Besides, I don't think she's my type."br  
A couple people voiced objections but suddenly Sam interjected. "I saw him pick some flowers last night and take 'em to Kitty and Rogue's room. I think he likes one of them."br  
A chorus of "Ooooooh's" rang up from everyone in the room and let his head fall onto tabletop.br  
"Listen," he said. "It was nothing. I uh, just wanted to apologize to them both for what I did last night. That's all. I don't like either of them. Er, I mean, sure they're both cute, but...wait a minute. Why the hell am I having this conversation with you guys? This is my personal business, and if I wanted you to know it, I'd tell you on my own time!" Everyone grinned back at him before breaking into exclaiming over John and the various other girls.br  
John sighed and bit down into his sandwich.iIf I didn't know any better, I'd say they were like gossipy girls themselves...br  
Of course, they were all younger than he. Scott was the oldest, John and Jean were seventeen, Rogue was one year younger, but the rest were all fourteen and fifteen, with the obvious exception of Jamie. He shook his head.iThen again, at fourteen, all I cared about was girls...br  
Jamie pushed his way through the throng and grabbed John's arm, pulling him up. "C'mon John! I'm tired of them talking about girls. Let's go do something fun!"br  
John looked around the others who seemed deep in conversation (or eating, in Kurt's case), so get grabbed what was left with his sandwich and took off with Jamie.br  
John tossed the basketball back to Jamie, who dribbled it on the court a couple times before unsuccessfully trying to throw it into the net. He ran over and tried to make it into the basket again, but missed. He bounced the ball back over to John, who had much of the same bad luck when it came to sinking a shot.  
br  
"Hey Jamie...how about a game of four on four?"br  
"Where are gonna get more people from?"br  
"You," John said, pointing at him.br  
John walked up grabbed him by the shoulders. "I don't mean any hard, bud, but it has to be done."  
br  
Jamie nodded.br  
And so John pushed him down hard. And *pop*, out came six Multiples.br  
"Owwww," they all said in unison, rubbing their behinds.br   
br  
John pulled up one of the Jamies and said, "Ok, you and me are team captains. I'll pick first. And I pick..." he said, scanning the crowd of Jamies. "That one!" 'That one' was just a random Jamie. "Ok, Captain, pick your man."br  
The team captain Jamie looked over his Multiples and hummed. "I'll take...Jamie!" 'Jamie' was well...just another random Jamie. The team choosing went on like that until all Jamies were on a team.br  
Captain Jamie looked around at them all and said, "Uh. Slight problem John. We all look the same."br  
"No problem," replied John, removing his shirt. "My team's skins and yours is shirts."br  
In a matter of minutes, John and his bare chested Jamies were playing a heated game of basketball. Sure, neither of them were any good, but that really wasn't what mattered. He wasn't sure how long they had been playing, but it was long enough to work a good enough rhythm and to the point that John and his Multiples were covered in a sheen of sweat. He was about to make an easy shot (most shots were easy, as Jamie wasn't as tall as he) when a cloud of smoke clouded his vision. He tripped on a foot and fell down hard. He looked up and saw Kurt's blue face staring down at him.br  
"Did I interrupt zomething?"br  
"Only my shot," John said, pushing himself up.br  
"Sorry. I came to tell you...all eight of you, zat dinner's is ready." Kurt licked his lips and disappeared again in a puff of stinky smoke.br  
"Well guys, I guess that's game."br  
"Yeah, and our team won!" shouted a bare chested Multiple.br  
"Nu-uh! We did!" exclaimed one with a shirt on.br  
John sighed and shook his head. One twelve year old was a handful enough...but seven? He shook his head again, wondering how teachers managed to not go insane. But teachers made him think of school, which made him think of Lance Alvers, which made him think of Kitty Pryde, which made him think of the fool he made of himself.br  
"Hey Jamie?" John asked.br  
"Yes?" they said in unison.br  
John smiled. It was too funny, and adorable in a way when he/they did that. "Listen uh, tell 'em inside that I won't be coming to dinner. Tell them I uh, went for a walk or something, ok?"br  
"Let us come with you!"br  
John shook his head in disagreement. "No, you go and eat. I'll be back when you're done, and maybe we can do something then."br  
"Promise?" they all asked.br  
"I promise."br  
"Pinky swear?"br  
"Uh. Sure." John held out his hand, as did all of the Multiples. He raised his eyebrow and they all looked back sheepishly, fusing back together as one. He locked his pinky with Jamie's and nodded. "Pinky swear."br  
"Pinky swear," Jamie said, turning around and heading back into the mansion.br   
br  
John waited until he had gone back inside before he picked his shirt up and walked off the court. A cool breeze came in from the ocean, so he didn't put it back on.iJohn, you've got to face up to what happened eventually.iI will, I will. Just...later.br  
It was almost funny, arguing with himself. He thought back to Jamie and and the game, and how often that happened between himself. John shook his head yet again and wandered off, glad he was anywhere but in the dining room at Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.br  
*Gasp!* So who does John really like? Does he like Kitty or Amara, or maybe Jean or Rogue or Rahne or Jubilee or will he defy the age constraints and head straight for Storm? Heh, your guess is as good as mine, and I'll probably just skip that whole "relationship" think from this story unless you really want one, or if a good opportunity presents itself. Like I said before, I'm just coming up with this stuff off the top of my head. Oh and don't worry, there will be some major Brotherhood action when John goes back to school.br 


	15. You Know, The Place With Rocks and Trees...

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 15  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts. And I love all of you and all the positive feedback you leave. That's what keeps me writing.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own (I think) the character John Jashback, who has a problem with keeping his left arm attached to his body.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------  
  
John Jashback sat down near the cliff the Institute sat upon, facing the grand Atlantic Ocean. A cool ocean breeze blew in, causing him to shiver , but he ignored it. It was a fantastic, majestic view, watching the dimming sunlight reflect off the water.  
  
~It's a shame... If we were in California, the view would be much better.~  
  
But then again, the view of the sunset was the last thing on John's mind. He sighed. Everything drifted back to the inevitable - going back into the mansion. As much as he wanted to stay outside forever, he had to go back in. Sure, he could get Kurt or Jamie to sneak him food, but there were training sessions and...Kitty.  
  
~I wonder if I'm blowing this out of proportion. Maybe Kitty isn't very angry at me. Lance *did* get even with me.~  
  
John tenderly felt around his eye. Most of the swelling had gone down.  
  
~Hopefully it'll be gone tomorrow. Knowing my luck, it'll be worse!~  
  
John rolled his eyes before running his fingers through his hair and rubbing his chin. It was bristly.  
  
~I need to shave soon. Of course, that means going back inside. And back inside means... Maybe she won't be mad. Maybe she'll be happy. She can be mad, I can apologize, and she can accept it or not. She can be happy, I can apologize, and I officially make an ass of myself. Or I can sit out here all night.~  
  
He stared out across the ocean.  
  
~I'd rather take my chances out here.~  
  
**********  
  
John poked his head into the mansion through the back door. He didn't see anyone, and took that as a good thing. Or not. He couldn't quite decide. Putting his shirt back on, he crept into the house.  
  
"Hello John," a calm voice said from behind.  
  
John spun around, finding himself facing Mr. McCoy. His heart was beating a mile a minute. "Whoa! Almost gave me a heart attack there!"  
  
The blue-furred man grinned, looking very menacing. "I get that sometimes. So tell me...where were you during dinner?"  
  
"Oh well, uh. I wasn't very hungry, so I decided to go for a walk."  
  
"Mhmm," he said, in a disbelieving tone. "Why do I find that hard to believe? I know that a side effect of your limb regeneration is the need to eat."  
  
"H..How did you know?"  
  
"I'm a scientist."  
  
John's reply was a raised eyebrow and a quizzical look.  
  
"Hey, they'll give anybody a degree these days." Mr. McCoy gave another of his unintentionally menacing smiles. "Perhaps your absence at dinner has to do with that nice shiner you have. Or perhaps a small matter of a fire? Or one Miss Kitty Pryde? Or all three?"  
  
"Er uh..." John muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you could say so."  
  
The ape-ish mutant smirked. "Oh, and did I mention that you're late for a Danger Room session?"  
  
John's eyes widened and he started frantically apologizing.  
  
"Don't worry, don't worry," Mr. McCoy said. "Logan informed me that you had an impromptu session earlier, exempting you from it. But I hope this teaches you a lesson on why you should always be at dinner?"  
  
John nodded vigorously. "Yessir, Mr. McCoy, sir." He sighed inward, full of relief.  
  
"Please John, don't call me Mr. McCoy. Call me Hank or Beast. Else, I may be forced to call you Lefty..."  
  
John groaned. "Yessir, Mr. Hank, sir. And I'll uh, be sure not to miss dinner anymore. I promise."  
  
The older mutant nodded. "Many a man would take you at your word, and go indeed, having so good a mean," he quoted, walking away.  
  
John shook his head. It was such a contrast - the appearance of an animal, but intelligent and wise. And able to quote literature, probably Shakespeare, or so John assumed.  
  
~Hmm. If there's a session going on, I bet Kitty's not in her room.~  
  
For a moment, John Jashback seriously considered going back outside, and hiding out until the middle of the night. He rubbed his temples.  
  
~Why the hell am I such a nice guy so much? Oh right, guilty conscience. I'd never make a good villain.~  
  
He swallowed hard and puffed out his chest and boldly strode to the living quarters for the students. A wave of relief washed over him, thankful no one was around to see him walk like such an idiot. Then again, he wouldn't ever dare to walk like that with people around. He came to Kitty's door and knocked, but received no reply. He poked his head inside to make sure it WAS Kitty's room. It was, he decided, recognizing some of the room's fixtures from his time inside the night before. Knowing it was wrong, he stepped inside. In a way, it felt like taboo, being alone in a girl's room. It was almost like stepping over the threshold into forbidden territory. He grinned in spite of himself.  
  
~John, get out of here before you get caught. You know better than this.~  
  
Pushing away thoughts of reason and decency and common sense, he strolled around the room. Sitting on a desk in the middle of the room was a glass of water with a rose in it. John smiled and looked around the room, hoping to spot the other but had no luck. But his eyes went back to the rose and he couldn't help but smile. The big question in his mind was who kept her rose? Was it Rogue or Kitty? Logic screamed that it couldn't be Kitty, but he had no chance to think about it because...  
  
"An' what do you think you're doing?"  
  
John spun around to see Rogue standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and her eyebrows in the air. She was wearing a uniform like John's, only with a green chest piece on. She must have just come from the Danger Room, because her hair was matted on her forehead and her cheeks glistened with sweat. John could only think of one word to describe her at that moment - beautiful. She was absolutely beautiful. There was no explanation. He just stared at her, jaw hanging open, his eyes drinking in every ounce of her.  
  
"What are you lookin' at, Lefty?" she said pointedly.  
  
The sharpness of her voice snapped John back into reality. "Er uh... I uh... Well uh... Uh...."  
  
"What are ya' doin' in mah room?"  
  
"Er, I uh..." he muttered. He randomly pointed behind him. "Er, I was waiting for uh, for uh...uh...for Kitty. I wanted to uh, to talk to her." It was hard keeping his composure. She was just *that* beautiful.  
  
"Uh-huh. Fahne. You can just wait outsahde," she told him. She stepped aside to give him room to walk by.  
  
"Oh...uh...sure...uh...ok..." John began to walk over to the door, but lost his footing and...  
  
~OH GOD NO! NOT IN FRONT OF HER!!!~  
  
*THUMP*  
  
John glanced up and saw Rogue looking at him with a delightful and very satisfied smile on her face. Pushing himself back onto his feet, John muttered many rushed apologies and scrambled out of the room, leaning against the adjacent wall for support. Rogue flashed him a devilish grin before closing the door in his face. As soon as the door was shut, John exhaled loudly and slumped to the floor. He moaned painfully and started banging the back of his head on the wall. The noise caused Rogue to open the door again and give John a strange look. He smiled weakly and waved, but curved her bottom lip and blew the air across her face, lightly tossing on of her white locks of hair. She shook her head and closed the door. So as not to be any louder, John smacked himself in the forehead before shaking his head.  
  
~Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid.~  
  
He held his head in his hands, trying to get a grip on things.  
  
~Ok, where did all that come from? I mean, come on John, you've seen tons of pretty girls before. Why get so worked up over one? Yeah, I know. She was beautiful. So beautiful....~  
  
John smiled happily and began to loll his head, side to side. Caught up in his thoughts, he never noticed Kitty walk up.  
  
"Like, what are you doing here?"  
  
John stopped moving and fear branched through his entire body.  
  
~Oh God...~  
  
He slowly opened one eye and looked up at Kitty, trying not to wince. He opened the other eye painstakingly slow, and pushed himself up on his feet.  
  
"Er, hi," he began, clearing his throat. "Listen uh...can we talk for a second?"  
  
"We don't have anything to talk about," she said, reaching for her door knob.  
  
~Nothing to talk about? Is she insane?!?~  
  
He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. "Please. Just listen. It'll only take a second," he pleaded.  
  
Kitty yanked herself out of John's grip and needlessly rubbed her wrist. "Fine. Make it quick," she ordered.  
  
"Ok, uh. Well...I wanted to apologize for what happened at lunch. What I did was stupid and dumb, and I wish I hadn't said it. I don't really know why I said what I said, because I would have been better off not saying anything. I don't know if you'll forgive me or not, and I understand if you won't, but I don't want any bad blood to exist between us." John wasn't sure if he had ever spoken so rushed in his life. Wait a second, he had, just the night before.  
  
Kitty narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment, not speaking.  
  
"If it's any consolation, Lance did get his revenge," John said nervously, pointing to his eye as evidence. But that didn't seem to make things any less tense, as Kitty's expression visibly tightened.  
  
~Aw shit. Bad move.~  
  
"So listen...I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry," he said apologetically. "I'll never do anything like that ever again, and..." John took a deep breath. "I won't lay a finger on Lance, no matter what."  
  
Kitty raised an eyebrow and said, "We'll see," before phasing through her door, leaving John standing in the hallway alone.  
  
"Um, bye?" John said, uncertainty in his voice. His eyes drooped and he slumped himself back against the wall, more exhausted than if he had been playing basketball non-stop for a day.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------  
  
Yeah, so I stole a line from "Retreat." It just fit real well there. Oh, and Beast's quote was from the Shakespeare comedy, 'The Comedy of Errors,' in case any of you wanted to know.  
  
Oh, and since I'm not fluent in the jargon used for fan fiction, what the heck does 'A/U' mean? 


	16. Aftermath, A Walk, And A New Use For A U...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 16**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Thanks to everyone who told me what A/U means - it's not like they've got a dictionary for these terms anyway (or I don't think so). As someone mentioned in a review about the numerous love twists...I'm doubt any of them will amount to anything, but I think I'm taking a liking to getting John into some of the most whacked out situations ever. Oh, and a big thanks to Post, who went to all the trouble to review much of my story, and provide me with some good insights. Thanks, buddy.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own (I think) the character John Jashback, who has a problem with keeping his left arm attached to his body.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
John Jashback still sat slumped against the wall, minutes after he had apologized to Kitty. He could hear talking from the room she shared with Rogue, but couldn't make out any words.  
  
_I'd better move before they come out and accuse me of eavesdropping._  
  
John began to feel an odd tingle in his legs, which grew by the second, until they left numb. As he tried to lift one, it felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, and a million needles were poking it. He let it fall to the floor with a loud thump.  
  
_That's it. Bad luck has to be part of my power. Talk about twice the uselessness._  
  
John banged his head against the wall and a cross between a growl and a groan forced it's was from his throat. The door to the room in front of John swung open and slammed into his outstretched feet. Rogue stormed out the room, muttering something angrily, and slammed the door shut, before she even realized John was there. She had managed to change out of her uniform and into the clothes she normally wore during the day. She still looked beautiful to John.  
  
"Ugh. Are you **still** out here?"  
  
John's face turned red. "Oh, well uh...you know...my legs," he said, pointing at the appendages in question. "My legs fell asleep."  
  
"Uh-huh. Is that wah you're makin' all this noise?"  
  
"Oh that. Well uh... Uh..." John stared at the floor, his face brighter than the sun could ever hope to be. John wished more than ever that he wish he had Kurt's power. Being anywhere but there would have been the greatest gift anyone could give. "Uh...I uh, I gotta go!" His legs still felt like stone, but he stood up. The sensation of a million needles poking into his legs hit every time he put any sort of pressure on the legs. He winced with each step, but headed over towards his room.  
  
_Just a few more steps and I'm home free..._  
  
With every step, a little of John's already battered pride ebbed away.  
  
"Wait," Rogue's voice called from behind.  
  
John hobbled in a circle until he faced her. "Uh...yes?"  
  
She lowered her eyes and hesitated, as if arguing with herself, before she spoke again. "Do you ah, want to...to go for a walk or do...somethin'?"  
  
John's eyes brightened, and he stood stunned.   
_Did she just...? Is she asking...? Why would...? John! You idiot! Say something!_  
  
Rogue started to drop her head and began to turn away, but John very nearly yelled for her to stop. "Wait...don't go...er, well, I mean...Let's go," he added, smiling.  
  
**********  
  
Strolling down one of the twisting stone paths that led through the garden and all across the grounds of the Institute, John Jashback and Rogue talked. It was dark out, and a cool breeze blew in continuously from the sea, and both spent much of their time shivering. John wished he had a jacket or something he could let Rogue wear. It seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. Her clothes weren't exactly designed to keep in the heat. When he told her that, she laughed. John wasn't sure how long they had been outside but it had to have been at least an hour. In that time, Rogue learned probably more than she ever wanted to know about John, or so John continuously told himself. Rogue didn't talk much about herself. She gave vague details on her past, and told little of her life before joining the X-Men.  
  
_I guess I can understand why she isn't very open. Not being able to touch anyone has to be rough._  
  
And then Rogue asked the question John didn't really want to answer: "Just what happened between you and Lance?"  
  
"Oh that," John said. "Well...I was uh...you see, the others weren't so nice to him, and I guess I wanted to fit in, so I said some stupid things and made him mad, and he taught me first-hand that he doesn't like getting angry." He pointed at his eye for proof.  
  
"You're lucky he didn't bring the roof down on yah. But what are you gonna do about...that?" Rogue drawled, 'that' being his eye.  
  
"Nothing, if I have anything to say about it. I'd like to pound in his face, but if I have any hope of living here in relative peace...it can't happen. School will be very interesting tomorrow, I can say that much," a touch of mirth in his voice. "I just hope I can make it through the whole day this time..." he added quietly.  
  
They walked along in silence for moment until John finally got the nerve to ask the question he'd been dying to know all day... "So uh...what does Kitty think of all this?"  
  
Rogue snorted. "Miss Kitty? She spends all night talking on the phone to Mr. Oh-Mah-God-He's-So-Cute-Lance-Alvers," she said, in a voice mocking Kitty's, "But today, she didn't say anythang about him...or you," she added, seeing John's questioning look.  
  
"Well...I don't know if I should be scared or relieved. Like the old saying goes: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." John looked over at Rogue, who looked so beautiful in the moonlight. "But I don't think you want to listen to me talk about that... I just can't handle the idea that someone just a few doors down from me hates my guts. It isn't a pleasant feeling."  
  
She laughed. "Nah, it's ahlright. I totally understand what ya mean."  
  
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, when a strong gust of wind blew by, causing both of the young mutants to shiver more than before.  
  
"It's getting awfully chilly. Shall we go back inside?" John asked, even if he wanted to stay outside with Rogue all night, if he could.  
  
"Ah guess so."  
  
Just as they had walked in from outside, Scott stormed out of a room across the way and shouted, "FINE! I hope you two enjoy yourselves!"  
  
"Er...what's with him?" John asked.  
  
Rogue's eyes burned with amusement. "Oh. Miss Perfect Jean must be going on a date with Duncan again. It eats Scott when she does." Her voice took a sympathetic tone with that last sentence.  
  
"Uh...yeah. I think it's better if I stay out of that can of worms."  
  
She nodded and they left the room, and headed upstairs.  
  
"Well, that was fun," John said, when they had reached Rogue's room.  
  
"Yah, it was..."  
  
That sat in an uncomfortable silence, looking around, not really wanting to make the next room.  
  
"Well uh...that was fun. We should uh...do it again sometime," John said uneasily.  
  
"Yah...ok, sure."  
  
"Ok, yeah, well...goodnight," John said. He waved and hurriedly went down the hallway. Opening the door, John looked back to see Rogue already gone, so he went inside and banged his head on the door. The clock by his bed read 8:30.  
  
"It's 8:30...and I said 'goodnight.' Jesus Christ, I'm an idiot." He punctuated his remark by banging his head on the door.  
  
John kicked off his shoes as he sat down on the bed, drooping his head.  
  
_Man, what's that smell...?_  
  
"Kurt, is that you?" John asked, not looking up.  
  
There was no reply. John looked around, but saw no blue furred Germans in his room. But...  
  
_Man, I can still smell it._  
  
John embarked on a quest, searching his room, sniffing, looking for the suspicious odor. And then realization hit. He pulled his shirt collar up over his nose and inhaled.  
  
_Oh God. That's it._  
  
He tentatively held up an arm and smelled the underneath of it.  
  
_Oh yes. Go for a walk with a girl when you smell like gym socks._  
  
"THE BAD LUCK STRIKES AGAIN!!!" he yelled.  
  
_I don't care if anyone heard me._  
  
John's cheek twitched involuntarily.  
  
_Well, maybe I'm making a big deal of this. She didn't mention the smell, and didn't act like it bothered her. Yeah...I'm just making a big deal out of this..._  
  
He shook his head and stretched out across the bed. He reached over to turn on his alarm clock, but his arm didn't quite reach.  
  
_Man, I'm laying down already. I don't want to get up again. Well, when in Rome..._  
  
John took a tight grip on his left shoulder, and pulled off the limb. He idly twitched the arm around in his hand, watching the hand flip back and forth. He reached across and flipped the switch, turning on the alarm.  
  
_Scratch those hard to reach places and reach far away things... This thing aint so bad after all._  
  
He smiled and tossed the arm in the random direction. It hit something, but he wasn't sure what. There was no glass breaking, so everything must have been alright. John sighed.  
  
_Maybe I'm thinking too hard into this. My arm comes off...sure, I can deal with that fine. Throw a girl into the mix...the whole machine breaks down. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this. Besides, I've got more to worry about right now, much more important things to worry about than girls. Anyway, Rogue is a friend. Just a friend. Nothing could ever come from a relationship with her if we can't touch. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this._  
  
John nodded to himself. "Yeah, yeah. Everything good's..." he said, content with his mental thoughts. Now all that mattered was sleep. Sleep meant an end to this day and the beginning to a whole new day, something John welcomed with arms wide open.  
  
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Sorry if this chapter felt kind of weak. It's hard to get the creative juices pumping sometimes. But don't worry, come the next chapter or two, we get to see more Brotherhood, so hang in there. Please? Did I mention I loved you guys?  
  
Oh, and accents are hard to write sometimes. I may end up stop writing them out, since you know what the character talks like.  



	17. Crazy Dreams, Slight Revelations of Love...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 17**  
  
Author's Notes: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. I love you all. Especially Post, who went to the trouble to review every chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, but I don't **really** own him, meaning you could use him and all I could do is...nothing. Unless you live on my street, where I could well..still do nothing.  
  
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John Jashback was sitting at the end of a large couch, staring at the glowing embers of a dying fire. He felt a stirring by his side. He looked down and saw a very female body snuggling close to him, her head nestled on his shoulder. He couldn't see her face. He bent his head down to see, but he couldn't. For some reason, he couldn't see her face. It wasn't a blur -- he just couldn't make out a face. And then suddenly, everything shifted. The woman disappeared, everything disappeared. John found himself sitting on a rock in a barren desert. A vulture called out in the distance, and the sun beat down brightly. John held his hand over his eyes so that he could actually see. A few feet away stood a figure John didn't recognize. And then the ground began to shake. The rock John was sitting on collapsed from beneath him. He stood up, and the ground all around began to break apart and rumble. The figure in front of him had it's arms outstretched, yelling wildly. Suddenly, light filled John's eyes, and the wind was swept out from below. Blackness over took, and he was falling...  
  
**********  
  
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep...  
  
John jerked himself upright of bed and frantically looked around. He was back in his room at the Institute. He reached over and shut off the alarm clock.  
  
_I swear, if I ever meet the man who invented the digital alarm clock, I'll beat him over the head with my left arm._  
  
He reached up to rub his eyes but...the arm wasn't there. Trying to use an arm that wasn't there...it seemed vaguely familiar...  
  
"Oh right. Yesterday morning," he said laughing. Then his mind drifted back to the pants and the crowd... "I'll be damned if they'll get the jump on me again today."  
  
His one hand balled in a fist, eyes clenched shut, and teeth gritted together, a new arm sprouted from the socket. As usual, it was covered in the same light film of...whatever it was. John made a mental note to ask the Professor or Mr. McCoy about it. Careful as to not get whatever it was on his arm on anything, John kicked off the blanket and stumbled out of his room. He saw no one else on the brief trek to the bathroom, but he smirked along the way, improvising a poem (or butchering a popular Christmas tale, you decide) in his head:  
  
_Twas early one morning  
And all through the mansion  
Not a mutant was stirring  
Not even the..._  
  
_Ok, so I can't come up with something rhymes with 'mansion.'_  
  
He approached the bathroom with caution, and luckily the door was open.  
  
_I'm taking no more chances when it comes to the bathroom._  
  
Dipping his arm into the sink, he turned it on, letting the warm water cascade across the new appendage, while scooping a handful in his real arm and splashing it in his face. His face crumpled at the remembrance of his smell, but it would have to wait until after the training session. He lifted up his chin and looked at the bristles starting to form underneath.   
  
_Gonna have to find a razor somewhere by Monday..._   
  
John dried off his arm and went back to his room, where he changed into his uniform. Outside his room, he heard brief signs of life, which meant he wasn't all dressed for a party with nowhere to go. He left his room again and sat down next to his door, and waited for the #11 Danger Room to pull into station so he could hitch a ride.  
  
_Yeah, so I still don't know how to get there. It's only been a day and a half._  
  
The same as the morning before, Scott came out his room, dressed in full uniform with that visor of his, and knocked on each door, to remind the others of the morning's events. He stopped at John and looked down, and if his eyes were visible to others, his eyebrows would have risen.  
  
"What are you doing, John?"  
  
"Waiting for someone to take me to the Danger Room. I uh, still don't know how to get there," he said sheepishly.  
  
Scott grinned at him. "That's fine. Wouldn't want you getting lost and burning down more of the mansion would we?"  
  
In a puff of smoke, Kurt was in the hallway with them. "John, how can you let Herr Summers zere punk on you again?"  
  
John looked at the two for a moment, before a big goofy smile reached his eyes. "My arm falls off, so I think a little good-natured ribbing isn't that big a deal."  
  
Kurt and Scott stared at one another for a moment before breaking into laughter. "I suppose you have a point there," Scott said. "Ja," Kurt added.  
  
Shaking his head, Scott went off to wake the others. Kurt walked over to John and crouched down. "Valkings for losers. Ve take the express way!" His smile brightened his dark face. A three-fingered hand took hold of John's arm and...  
  
Poof, they were outside the door that led into the Danger Room.  
  
"Well...we're early," John said.  
  
"Ja...and I'm hungry. Care for a leetle snack?"  
  
"Sure, but where are you going to get..." Kurt disappeared. "Oh, right."  
  
Kurt reappeared with some chocolate in his hand, and tossed a bar to John. The wrapper read: 'Schokoladenbraune Güte' which didn't mean anything to John, except that it was more of that great stuff they ate two days ago.  
  
A door nearby slid open, and the brutish Hank McCoy walked into the room. He eyed the two mutants happily eating chocolate and remarked, "Enjoying an early breakfast, eh boys?"  
  
"Mmhmm" John managed to get out between bites. Kurt didn't bother to say anything, he was too busy licking the wrapper clean.  
  
"Oh hey, Mr. McCoy...er, Hank, can you answer a question?" John inquired.  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"Well..." he said, looking around to make sure no one else was around, "How does the laundry system work around here? Does someone do it for us, or do I do it myself? Only reason I ask, is uh, well, I didn't bring much with me, and I did burn a change yesterday, so I'm kind of the short end of the stick."  
  
"You said 'question,' not 'questions'. But nonetheless, everyone does their own clothing," he replied.  
  
"Ok, one last thing...where's the washing machine?"  
  
Kurt smacked himself in the forehead. "Vat kind of question is zat?!"  
  
John looked over at the German and shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon. You mean you didn't ask when you first got here?"  
  
Kurt shook his head. "I didn't need to," he said, pressing a button on his watch. In an instant, the blue, furry, hunched over mutant was a normal looking teenage boy in normal clothing.   
  
"Oh. Right. Like that's fair..." John said, rolling his eyes.  
  
**********  
  
The door to the Danger Room slid open, and John stepped in with the younger students. Various piles of twisted metal and debris scattered about marked the previous use of the facility by the older students. But that didn't matter - today's session was the obstacle course John had tried to run the day before. They lined up along the starting line, in a standard offensive position: Berserker, Iceman, and Magma took the forward line, behind them stood Sunspot, Jubilee, and Cannonball, and behind them stood Multiple, Wolfsbane, and John.  
  
_Hey, I got all their 'codenames' down. Of course, I don't have one yet..._  
  
"Ready back there, Lefty?" Iceman called from the front.  
  
John rolled his eyes. "I really need a codename..." he muttered. Louder, he said, "Sure am."  
  
"Let's do this!!" yelled Bobby, and a loud buzzer sounded.  
  
Sentry guns of all shapes and sizes sprouted from the floor and walls. And all hell broke loose. Cannonball sprung himself forward, and flew straight through a gun. Ice and fire and lightning and...sparkly lights lanced out in all directions, reducing the guns to slag. As one, the mutants surged forward, dodging the giant spikes that rose upward like a whack-a-mole game. John couldn't do much except try not to get in anyone's way and not get hurt. The giant metal wall began to rise, but John cleared it quite easily. They dodged all giant spikes and destroyed anything that posed an immediate threat. All in all, the session ended relatively easy.  
  
_You know, maybe this won't be so hard after all..._  
  
The buzzer sounded and a voice came back over the intercom. "Good job, now lets do it again, people."  
  
**********  
  
John stepped out of the bathroom, uniform in one hand, a towel in the other, rubbing his wet hair. The shower had been refreshing, and rid him of the funk he'd been carrying in tow since the night before. In his room, he discarded the uniform onto the pile of clothes that needed washing, combed his hair, grabbed his backpack, and headed downstairs for breakfast. The dining room was empty, with the exception of Logan, reading the paper. He glanced up when John walked in, but said nothing.  
  
_Dear Lord, it's a buffet line._  
  
And it very nearly was. The counter looked like a breakfast buffet line, with a little of almost everything imaginable. John's stomach began urgently screaming for sacrifices, so he grabbed a plate and loaded it down. Fork in hand, butt planted firmly in his seat, John Jashback prepared to eat.  
  
_This day hasn't been so bad. I didn't lose an arm, didn't lose my pants, didn't mess up in the Danger Room, I got food. Maybe today won't be so bad..._  
  
John was taking no chances today. He inhaled his food, cleaned his plate and went back into the mansion foyer. He sat down on the couch there and looked around for a moment and stretched himself out across the length of the sofa. Staring up at the ceiling, he strummed his fingers across his chest and thought to himself.  
  
_What kind of phrase is that? 'He thought to himself.' Is there any other way to think?_  
  
John rubbed his nose for a moment, before noticing the stupidity of that.  
  
_Of course there is, if you live in a house with two telepaths. How the hell am I supposed to think without them coming in and saying 'Peek-a-boo!'_  
  
He shook his head, relishing in how big of an idiot he could be, if he let his mind wander.  
  
"Ahem," a voice said.  
  
John arched his neck to see who was speaking - Rahne standing next to the sofa, hands on her hips. "Mind moving your feet?"  
  
"Oh uh, sorry," he stammered as he moved his feet and sat up.  
  
_Never wise to upset a girl, especially one who turns into a wolf._  
  
John thought about how ludicrous that sounded in his head.  
  
_Never wise to upset a girl, eh? I should learn follow my own advice._  
  
She sat down at the other end and began rooting through her bag. John twitched his mouth for a moment and continued his ceiling-staring and thought-thinkin'.  
  
_Thought-thinkin'. That's a new one. I must be getting more stupid every day. Maybe it's another power I have. My left arm falls off, I have bad luck, and I'm getting ever closer to the threshold of utter idiocy by the day._  
  
John shook his head. His mind could be a dangerous place, if he wallowed in the recesses of it long enough. He glanced over at a rather ornate clock sitting on the wall behind him that put the time at a few minutes till eight. He sighed.  
  
"You know that Amara likes you, right?"  
  
John swung his head around to face the girl sharing the couch with him. "Are you uh, talking to me?"  
  
"She does like you," Rahne said, in that odd, squeaky, slightly-accented voice of hers.  
  
"Er uh...thank you?" John replied, unsure of what else to say.  
  
"Don't thank me. Go talk to her. Ask her out. You two would look cute together."  
  
John gave her a confused look. "She didn't act like she liked me when we were in the Danger Room earlier."  
  
"Trust me on this. I share a room with her. She won't stop talking about you."  
  
John alternated from staring at Rahne to staring at the floor. His throat seemed very dry. "Er uh...why? I scared her to death and started a fire. Besides...she doesn't even know me. I don't even know her. Isn't it a little too soon to be going out with girls?"  
  
John blinked hard for a moment.  
  
_If Rahne is telling the truth, why would Amara like me? My arm falls off, for God's sake. I didn't think that was the biggest turn on to girls..._  
  
"Don't tell her I told you, okay?" Rahne asked.  
  
"Er uh...sure."  
  
_This sure is awkward. And from waaaay out in left field._  
  
"LEFTY!!" a voice cried out.  
  
John looked up, and there at the top of the stairs stood Jamie, waving and grinning like a fool. He started running down the stairs, but slipped about halfway down. As he hit each step sliding down, a copy of him formed, and fell down with him. By the time the young mutant reached the bottom, the room was much more crowded than before.  
  
"Nice entrance there, Snowflake," John said grinning. Rahne was busy laughing.  
  
Jamie frowned, all the Multiples fused back into one body. He stood up, brushed off his backside, and walked over to the couch, planting himself in between the other two mutants.  
  
He poked John hard in the chest. "Where were you last night? You pinky sweared that we'd get to play some more."  
  
John felt that sinking feeling in his stomach. He had Kitty on his mind after Jamie went back inside. "Well you see, when I uh, came in to get you, Mr. McCoy stopped me, and I got in trouble for skipping dinner."  
  
"Ok...but we're gonna do stuff after school, okay? You owe me," the younger boy said.  
  
John laughed. "No problem," he told him, ruffling Jamie's hair.  
  
_This kid's amazing. I can have so much stuff on my mind, like girls and being a mutant, be he just comes along without a care in the world, and cheers me up. God, to be young again..._  
  
Ororo walked into the room at that moment, keys in hand, and the remaining younger students sauntered in after her. The white-haired woman looked over at the three on the sofa. "Ready to go?"   
  
They nodded and she headed outside. As John stood up and watched the other students walk out the door, he paid close attention to Amara, but she never once looked at him. John shrugged and grabbed his bag and headed out the door himself.  
  
_All in all, this day is turning out to be pretty good, aside from wierd dreams and Amara._  
  
Little did he know how spicy things would be getting once he got to school...  
  
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Yeah. "Spicy." Cheesy. I know. 


	18. Meet the Brotherhood, Sort Of

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 18  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts. I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, but I don't *really* own him, meaning you could use him and all I could do is...nothing. Unless you live on my street, where I could well..still do nothing.  
  
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John Jashback stood and stared and the doors that led into the cafeteria. People pushed past him and went inside, and more than a few muttered complaints about 'the damn kid who won't move.' John just ignored them. Fishing his hand into his pocket, John pulled out a few random bills and a handful of change.  
  
~I really gotta find a job or something. Maybe they give an allowance at the Institute...~  
  
Either way, John wasn't going to eat a very big lunch. He walked over to a set of vending machines near the doors, threw in fifty cents and got a soda.  
  
~This'll have to do for now. Nice day out, I can eat out there.~  
  
He took his 'lunch' and headed for the set of doors that led outside down at the end of the corridor. Luckily, the first half of the day had gone by uneventfully, and John prayed it would keep up. As he approached the doors, a large meaty hand reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in. John's vision nearly kicked into vertigo, as everything suddenly shifted very quickly to the right. Once he had regained his senses, he found himself face-to-face with a pair of overalls that had to have been tailored for an elephant and his jaw dropped. His eyes steadily traveled upwards to a multi-chinned, scowling face with a blond mohawk on top of a clean-shaved head. His eyes then traced from the head, down a gigantic arm that led to a huge fist that held a tight grip on his shoulder. John, mouth still on the floor, stared at the fist that could hold him still, even if he had super strength.  
  
"Is this him?" the thing holding John said.  
  
"Yeah, that's him," a familiar voice said.  
  
John turned his head to see Lance Alvers sneering at him. "Miss me?"  
  
"I wish I could say yes," John said sarcastically, while trying to shake off the big guy's vice grip.  
  
There were some other people with Lance. A strange, white haired boy and an ugly little whelp who's skin looked eerily yellow, sitting down in a crouch.  
  
"Let him go, Blob," Lance ordered. The tightness on John's shoulder vanished.  
  
John rubbed his shoulder, but kept his eyes on Lance. "Thanks. I'll be going now," he said, turning around. He didn't manage to get very far. The fist reached out and took hold of him by the shoulder, and yanked him backwards, John's back slamming hard into the wall. He locked his knees to keep from falling on his face, and leaned against the wall for support.  
  
~Fuck me, that hurt!!~  
  
John's eyes were shut tight, his fists balled up tight, and he was biting his lower lip HARD. He shook his head, back and forth, fighting the pain.  
  
~Don't yell. Don't cry. Stay calm. Stay calm. Holy shit, that hurt...~  
  
John opened his eyes and looked up at the giant and then over at Lance. "What the hell do you want, Alvers?"  
  
"This is the new guy with the X-Geeks? He doesn't look so tough, yo," said the little yellow skinned boy.  
  
"Yeah Lance. This is a waste of our time," the white haired boy said hurriedly.  
  
Lance ignored them and walked up to John. "You still got that smart mouth. I figured you'd have left it at home after the beating I gave you yesterday."  
  
"Right. You sneak up on me from behind. Real manly of you." In his head, John was telling himself to shut up. Talking is what got him in this situation in the first place. "I guess me being held here with your friends proves that. So come on, punk. Let's get this over with."  
  
Lance hadn't expected such a reaction - he had hoped John would turn tail and run or cry. But this...  
  
"Fine by me," he said, cracking his knuckles. John just stared at him, preparing for the impending blow.  
  
~Kitty, I hope you're happy...~  
  
"What's going on here?" said a stern voice from behind. "You boys wouldn't be fighting, would you?"  
  
"Uh...Principal Kelly...uh, no, we were just introducing ourselves to the new kid. That's all," Lance said quickly. "That's all."  
  
The principal turned and faced John. "Is what he said true?"  
  
John looked back over and stared at Lance, long and hard.  
  
~I'm gonna regret this...~  
  
Looking back at Principal Kelly, John said, "Yes sir, he's telling the truth. Nice people here in Bayville. Well, I think I'm gonna go now..." John turned and walked over to the set of doors that led outside the building. He turned around and saw Lance looking back, a very neutral look on his face. He stepped through the double doors and outside, and sat down on the concrete steps.  
  
~Why did I just do that? Oh right, I like living.~  
  
John twisted and rubbed his shoulders. Lance Alvers, he could potentially handle, the yellow skinned boy looked to be a pushover, and the white haired boy seemed pretty girly, and probably wouldn't put up much of a fight. But the big guy... John involuntarily rubbed his back.  
  
~And I thought this would be a good day! John, you're an idiot. But I wonder if the big guy and the other two are mutants, like Lance...~  
  
John made a mental note to ask Scott or Kurt later. But as of right at that moment...  
  
~I've got at least twenty minutes until the next class. What the hell am I going to do?~  
  
He stood up and poked his head back into the school. He didn't see anyone, so John stepped inside and headed back over to the vending machines. His soda was nowhere to be seen, so if he wanted to eat, now was as good a time as ever. He paused to get a drink of water from a fountain when a girl walked up to the soda machine. She wore a very tight pink shirt, and a very tight pair of pants. She looked like she overdid it with the makeup, as her cheeks were a rosy red, and she had a....unique hairstyle. He watched as she rubbed her hands together and stuck something into the coin slot. The machine...shook and bounced a little, and a soda came out from the bottom. The girl bent down and pulled it out, and took a long drink from it.  
  
"Wait a second...how did you just do that?" John asked.  
  
She looked like she swallowed a toad. "How did I do what?"  
  
"You stuck something in the machine and it freaked out... What did you do to it?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, and she turned around and walked away, her hips shaking with every step. John was reminded of a cheesy phrase, but something that fit in this situation.  
  
~I hate to see her go, but I love watchin' her leave.~  
  
John shook his head and bought a new soda and headed back outside, waiting to see what other surprises were in store for the day.  
  
**********  
  
The rest of the school day went by fine for John Jashback. He found his new classes with relative ease, received the same judging stares from the other students, but wasn't bored at all. He didn't have a class with any of his fellow X-Men, and couldn't quite decide if that was good or bad. When the final bell rang to announce the end of class, John stepped out into the milling crowds in the hall with the other students.  
  
~Maybe what happened at lunch was just a one-time thing. Everything else today has gone fine.~  
  
John wanted to believe it was true, but something in the back of his mind told him no. He wondered if any of the others at the Institute had days as eventful as his... As he fought his way through the people, he noticed Scott leaning against a locker, staring off into space, it seemed. You could never tell what he was looking at, not with his sunglasses on.  
  
"Hey Scott," John said, walking up to him.  
  
"Huh? Oh hey John. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing really. I'm just glad school's over."  
  
"Heh, you and me both. Say...where were you at lunch?"  
  
"Lunch?" John quickly fished for a lie in his head. "I was uh, getting a head start in looking for my uh, next classes. You know, since I didn't finish the whole day yesterday."  
  
"Right," Scott said, not looking at John.  
  
"Is uh, something bothering you?"  
  
"You might say so," he said, pointing down the hall.  
  
John looked and saw Jean talking to a big, blond haired guy wearing a letter jacket. He screamed 'jock.'  
  
"Is that uh, Jean's boyfriend?" John asked.  
  
Scott's face darkened and he mumbled something. He looked over at John and said, "Well, I'm gonna be going now. See you later."  
  
"Uh, yeah. Bye."  
  
~I guess Scott likes Jean, but she's with that other guy. I guess that explains him yelling last night. Not that I blame him. She's hot.~  
  
John reluctantly took his mind off a certain beautiful redheaded telepath and on to more pressing matters (if there can be such things to the male teenager). But yes, there were more important things - like getting a ride home. John fought his way out to the front of the school and looked around for the van that brought him here, but didn't spot it.  
  
~Maybe I've got no ride. Or maybe the ride isn't here. Or maybe I'm on the wrong side of the school. Dammit John, these are important questions you need answered BEFORE a situation like this happens.~  
  
John sat down on a stone bench and angrily cursed himself in his mind. So caught up in it, he didn't notice the person sneak up and reach for a wallet that wasn't there. At least, not right away. The pickpocket got frustrated when he found no wallet, and became careless. John felt something touching his bottom. He turned around and saw one of Lance's friends, the yellow skinned one, crouched down behind him.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
The yellow skinned boy flashed a sickly grin, revealing a mouth of ugly stained teeth and...hopped away.  
  
John stared slack-jawed for a moment before coming to his senses again. "Hey! Get back here!" He jumped up and ran after the other boy, who quickly found that hopping through crowds of people wasn't the best means for escape. John quickly caught up and grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar and yanked him back towards him. He soon realized how big of a mistake that was.  
  
~Oh man, he smells worse than Kurt.~  
  
The stinky, yellow skinned boy pulled himself out of John's grip and hopped away. John let him go - he hadn't stolen anything. But the gall of him... John thought back to yesterday's stay in the nurse's office, and things started to make more sense.  
  
~Lance is Avalanche...the big guy is Blob, that's easy to see. Besides, that's what Lance called him. The yellow skinned one is Toad. Thanks makes sense. He sure smells and moves like one. I guess that makes the white haired guy Quicksilver. I don't think I saw Boom Boom, or whatever the last one was. I guess that makes them the Brotherhood.~  
  
"Hey Lefty, come on," a voice called. John turned around to see Roberto waving to him. "C'mon, out ride is here. And it's Friday, so let's get home!"  
  
~He seems energetic.~  
  
John followed him and saw the familiar black van up ahead.  
  
~Heh, looks kinda like the A-Team van. I wonder who gets to be Mr. T?~  
  
He grinned as he stepped in, and found Sam and Bobby in the back talking, and Jamie sitting in the front row, who motioned John over.  
  
"And how was your first *full* day of school, John?" Ororo called from the front.  
  
"Oh uh...well, it was better than yesterday," he replied, grinning. "I didn't get into any fights. I did come close, twice, though."  
  
"Oh?" the white-haired woman called from the front.  
  
~Doh.~  
  
"Er, yeah. Well, the Brotherhood tried to do something during lunch, but Principal Kelly broke it up. And uh, earlier, before you got here, that Toad guy tried to take my wallet, but luckily, I didn't have one."  
  
John could see her raise an eyebrow in the reflection from the rear view mirror and winced on the inside.  
  
"I think we need to have a talk with the Professor when we get back."  
  
John slumped his shoulders.  
  
"No fair!" Jamie exclaimed. "You said we were gonna do stuff after school."  
  
"Well, you're just going to have to wait, buddy."  
  
Jamie made a disapproving noise.  
  
The other students piled into the van, filing into the seats farthest in the back. In some weird twist of fate, Amara ended up next to John. John spent most of the ride back talking to Jamie, but kept an eye on Amara, but if she had any interest in him, she didn't show it. John looked behind at Rahne who just smiled and winked at him. John turned around and shook his head.  
  
~No matter how long I live, I don't think I'll ever be able to understand women.~  
  
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If you guys have any suggestions on something you'd like to see in the story, by all means tell me, cause your guess is as good as mine as to what's gonna happen next.  
  
Oh, and I couldn't resist taking a crack at Pietro. Too many original characters end up as his love interest, and so...well, it was a cheap blow. As for who John will end up with...probably nobody. But like I said, your guess is as good as mine as to what's gonna happen next. 


	19. Lefty and the Sock Puppet

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 19  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts. I love you all. Oh, and thank you again, Post, especially for the advice on language and ratings and such. I'll be sure to remember it from now on.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, and any arms and other appendages he loses.  
  
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"It isn't that big of a deal," John said, more trying to convince himself than those he was speaking with. "It really isn't. No one got hurt," except my back, "And besides, I think in some small way, I gained his respect."  
  
John felt like he was facing the firing squad -- there was no other way to describe it. He was standing in the middle of the Professor's study, with Ororo, Logan, Mr. McCoy, and the Professor arrayed in front of him. John had just finished recounting every detail his meeting with the Brotherhood at lunch that day and his private encounter with the Toad after school.  
  
"Well John," the Professor began, "You probably took the wisest choice of action in your situation."  
  
"You got that right, Charles. If he had ratted them out, I don't think there'd be a school anymore," Logan said gruffly. The others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Very well John. You are dismissed," the Professor told him.  
  
John turned around and headed for the door. He stopped and spun around. "Wait...mind if I ask a few questions?"  
  
**********  
  
John walked away from the Professor's study, a not-so-satisfied smile on his face. The washing machine was in an extension of the kitchen, his uniform was to be washed in cold water, on the gentle cycle, then air dried, and he had a twenty dollar bill in his pocket. And since no suitable codename could be devised for John, they had unofficially christened him 'Lefty.' John groaned at the thought. Granted, they weren't world-impacting questions, but those necessary for day-to-day life.  
  
~I just hope this means Lance won't mess with me anymore.~  
  
As he turned a corner, there was no way John could have known that someone was running down that hallway, and there was no way he could have prevented the collision. The shock forced John back a few steps, and he recovered quickly. The same couldn't be said for the other person.  
  
John extended his hand to Amara, who had suddenly found herself on the floor.  
  
"Heh, sorry about that. I guess I should watch where I'm going," John said, smiling nervously.  
  
Amara only stared as his hand and John realized why -- it was his left hand.  
  
"It won't bite. Or fall off." ~At least I hope it won't.~ Rather than take the chance, John stuck out his right hand instead. "Feel better now?"  
  
Her face reddened a moment before she accepted his assistance. Pulling Amara to her feet, John made another apology and went off down the hallway.  
  
~Well, I think she's more frightened of me than anything.~  
  
"Hey John," Amara's voice called from behind.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
She was staring at the floor, her dark hair covering much of her face, but John could tell she was blushing. "I..I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" She kept staring at the floor. ~Say something, John! Quick!~ "Er..well, I'm the one who's sorry. You know, bumping into you and starting the fire. I'm kind of a klutz, I guess."  
  
~John, you suck with girls. Yeah, I know, now shut up.~  
  
"Well, ok, bye!" she said quickly, before running off around the corner.  
  
~That was...different. John, you idiot. You could have handled that better. Yeah, I know, so shut up.~  
  
John shook his head and hoped the Professor wasn't poking into his head, or else he'd be thinking he let a lunatic with a detachable left arm into his home. John headed down the hallway and was back in the student living quarters (he vaguely remembered the way) and walked to his door. He tossed in his backpack and went over to Jamie's room (which he remembered was two doors down from his). He knocked on the door.  
  
"Jamie? You in there?"  
  
What happened next would scar the very soul of John for the rest of his life.  
  
"Oh! Hello there Lefty! How you doin'?" a comical voice said.  
  
John found himself looking at a sock-covered hand, with two eyes colored in.  
  
~Tell me I'm not seeing this.~  
  
"What's the matter Lefty? Don't you remember me? I'm Mister Happy Happy Sock, your very beeeeeeeest friend!"  
  
"And goodbye to you." John pivoted on his heel and walked away.  
  
"Wait wait wait wait!" Jamie exclaimed, charging out of his room, that ridiculous sock on his hand. "I'm sorry, John! Come back!"  
  
"No sock."  
  
"No sock."  
  
"Ok, let's go."  
  
"Go do what?"  
  
"I'm not sure yet. Let's find out."  
  
~Newer students, report to the Danger Room immediately for a training session.~  
  
"Awwwww man..." Jamie moaned.  
  
"You heard that too?"  
  
The younger mutant nodded.  
  
"Well, let's go suit up then."  
  
**********  
  
John and Jamie entered the briefing room and found the Professor, Logan, and the newer students waiting.  
  
"Er...are we late?" asked John.  
  
"No. You two are right on time, in fact," said Professor Xavier. He pressed a button on a small console, and a holographic image of a field appeared on a giant screen along the wall behind him. It looked like the obstacle course they had run that morning, only much more formidable -- it was twice as long as the standard course, with more guns, more spikes, and other various gadgets meant to test their abilities.  
  
"The objective is the same as before," the bald man said. "Using your powers and abilities to work as a team, reach the end of course. This is a true test of your ability to work together, as the risks involved are much greater, and teamwork is essential."  
  
Looking at the screen and everything on it, John felt very weak and very vulnerable. In fact...  
  
~This is going to suck. How am I supposed to be useful in this? Beat down a gun with my arm?~  
  
John was not looking forward to this one bit.  
  
**********  
  
John ducked as a sentry gun fired in his direction.  
  
~This really sucks.~  
  
Another rose from the wall and fired at him also. John jumped aside to evade the blasts, while Iceman froze the two out of action. The team hadn't advanced far into the course when they became pinned down behind a steel wall, with weapons everywhere firing at them. Enough piles of smoldering rubble marked the destruction of various training machinery. All around him, the students with projectile attacks were making quick work of anything that attacked, and they all began to surge forward again. John narrowly avoided getting hit as he ran forward to catch up with the others.  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback dropped onto his belly as a giant saw blade flew by overhead. In front of him, Jamie did the same. Berserker fired a bolt of lightning from his fist and demolished the gun firing the giant blades. John jumped up and grabbed Jamie's shoulder.  
  
"Let's get out of the open, or we're dead!" he shouted.  
  
They ran past Magma, whose body was enveloped in fire, as she melted a hole in the giant metal wall in front of them. Everyone ran forward through the hole to face the next round of obstacles. A gun rose up and fired, the blast clipping John's exposed arm. He hissed in pain and held his arm where it was hit. Cannonball launched himself forward and into the gun, smashing it to pieces. Roberto ran forward, his body covered in a strange heat, and ripped off another gun at the base.  
  
~This really sucks.~  
  
**********  
  
John was staring up at the stark metal ceiling of the Danger Room, a loud ringing in his ears. And then he felt the pain. He looked over at his right arm and the giant tear in the sleeve. A long gash was running up the side of it and blood steadily trickled out. He hadn't been quite fast enough in dodging a floor spike and now he had paid the price. Wolfsbane ran beside him and changed back into her human form, and pulled John up onto his feet.  
  
"Are you ok?" she shouted over the sound of chaos all around them.  
  
John's first instinct was to yell, "No, I feel like hell. I'm utterly useless and I just nearly lost my only whole arm," but he nodded and they started running forward again.  
  
~Christ, my arm hurts. Why aren't they calling this off?~  
  
A giant bar rolled out from the wall and caught both of them in the chest, knocked the wind out them and knocked them over. Iceman ran over to them froze over the panel where the bar emerged and built a small wall of ice to shield them, before going off to silence the guns that were still firing madly. John painfully pushed himself up, panting heavily, when the ice in front of them shattered. He flung his arms immediately in front of his face to protect himself, as the same giant bar passed overhead. John looked over and saw a gun hit Jamie square in the chest, who slammed into the wall hard, and copies of himself sprouted out upon impact. John picked up a large chunk of ice and held against his cut arm and pulled Wolfsbane to her feet. She transformed back into a wolf and dove after Jamie. John took the chunk of ice and threw it at a sentry gun. It wouldn't do anything, but it was more than his powers allowed. He pushed himself onto his feet and dove back into the fray...  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback hurled a long piece of metal at a towering gun. It ricocheted off the side and fell to the floor. John's arm had stopped bleeding, but a large tear graced the front of his suit and blood trickled down his face from a small tear on his scalp.  
  
~I'm getting my ass kicked out here. Can't they see that? Why don't they end this damn hellhole?!?~  
  
He swore loudly as he dodged the gun's return fire. A stream of fire enveloped the gun, reducing it to a liquid, then a beam of ice encased it. Cannonball rammed through another gun that was coming up behind it, debris thrown everywhere.  
  
"C'mon! We're almost to the end!" shouted Bobby, who started running for the finish line.  
  
John dashed after him but was stopped in his tracks when a giant tentacle rose out of the floor and wrapped around his right arm. It pulled him high into the air and began to wildly flail him about. John screamed wordlessly and shut his eyes hard to keep from sickening up, since he felt as if he was getting a double dose of vertigo and whiplash. The pressure on his arm disappeared, and he opened his eyes briefly to see the unforgiving metal floor coming ever closer. He was falling. In his mind, John screamed every obscene word he knew, interrupting briefly to pray that he wouldn't die. Eyes clenched shut again, he braced himself for the pain that was about to come...  
  
John Jashback's body slammed into the floor hard, and sent his body rolling. Intense pain flooded through every nerve of his body, and the last thing he heard before blacking out was a buzzer sounding.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------  
  
Hey, someone help me think of a good codename thingy for John. Unless you want him to stay as Lefty. 


	20. Dreams and Evolution

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 20**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. I love you all. You know, I noticed something about my story title. When I came up with it, I had nothing special in mind. It just happened to be the first line in the song I was listening to at the time ('All Along the Watchtower' by Jimi Hendrix). It's amazing how it ended up being an appropriate title. I didn't mean to make the Danger Room sequence in Chapter 19 seem so intense. I suppose it could have been written better, but it helps prove how horribly outclassed John is as compared to the other mutants. Maybe he'll get a weapon or something, cause Gambit has a pole, so why can't John carry a sword or something?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, and any arms that fall off.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
John Jashback opened his eyes and saw white. Pale, drab white. But his head rang. And hunger gnawed at his stomach.  
  
_Man, I'm tired. What happened to me? Where am I?_  
  
He looked down and noticed the white blanket covering his body, pulled up to his neck.   
  
_My head hurts. Where am I?_  
  
Rhythmic beeping caught his attention, and John looked over to see an EKG device sitting along the left side of his bed. Everything **looked** normal, but he didn't know how they worked. John looked back up at the ceiling and concentrated.  
  
"How did I get here?" he said aloud.  
  
A million different conflicting memories seemed to come out all together.  
  
_The car accident. The car flipped over and pinned my arm. No wait, I fell. But where's my arm? They amputated it. No, I'm a mutant. My arm falls off._  
  
John furrowed his brows as confusion wracked his brain. He reached up to rub his temples, but something was covering them.  
  
"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone there?"  
  
Silence. His head hurt too much to look around.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
More silence.  
  
"If nobody's there, I'm going to sing..." he warned.  
  
"Is there any aspirin around here?" he said to no one in particular. "My head hurts." John sighed and pushed himself up with his one arm.  
  
The room was empty, save for three chairs arrayed around the bed, and the door was open. A counter covered half of one side of the room, with a sink, a mirror, and cabinets above it. John threw back the blanket (finding himself glad only in his boxers, with a bandage on his chest) and got off of the bed. Legs trembling, he walked over and began rooting through the cabinets, finally finding some aspirin. He tossed a couple in his mouth and turned on the faucet. There were no cups that he could see, so he bent his head down and under the mouth, letting the water run into his slacked jaw. It was crude, but it worked. He tossed back his head and swallowed the pills. He looked in the mirror at himself and saw the large bandage wrapped around the base of his scalp, dark circles hung under his eyes, and his face and chest were decorated in various cuts and scratches. He flashed a sickly grin.  
  
_Oh yeah, I look good. Or as good as you can look after fighting with a bear. Maybe that's why my head hurts._  
  
Scratching the top of his head, John stuck his head out the door and looked around. The walls and floor were metal, like the Danger Room.  
  
_You know, I think a lot of the stuff in here is made of metal. I'd hate to drop a magnet in this place. Or spill water._  
  
"Helloooooo?" John called out.  
  
He walked down the hallway leading from his room barefoot and nearly naked. He reached a door down at the end and stepped through, and the transition was very abrupt. The stark metal walls and floor were gone, and the floor was carpeted and there was wallpaper and various furniture. It looked just like every other hallway of the mansion.  
  
_So I'm in the Institute. I am a mutant. I did fall. I am a mutant._  
  
"A mutant." He didn't quite know how to react to it.  
  
_Should I be angry? Happy? Ashamed? Proud? Upset? Disappointed?_  
  
"I'm a mutant," he said. "A mutant."  
  
His arm. His mutation.  
  
_My arm is my mutation._  
  
John looked down at his one arm, and then over to where the other was supposed to be. He clenched his fist and concentrate hard.  
  
_This is how it works, right?_  
  
He clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes. He heard a strange sound and...  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he had two arms. John examined his new arm and touched the film that coated it. It stuck to his fingers, but quickly rubbed away. He smiled contentedly and walked on down the hallway.  
  
_Where am I going? To find someone? Yes, to find someone._  
  
His head still rang.  
  
_When that aspirin going to kick in?_  
  
He came upon an elevator and pressed the button to open it. Inside was a small panel with six buttons, none of which offered a real definition of where they went, with the exception of a 'Stop' and 'Help' button. John decided to cut his losses, and pressed every button (except 'Stop' of course). The door slid shut and the elevator began to move up. The elevator stopped, and the door opened again. It was another hallway, carpeted like the other.  
  
Poking out his head he called out. "Helloooo? Anyone there? No? Ok. I'll go now."  
  
He stepped into the elevator and the door closed. All the force pushed down to John's feet, signifying that he was moving up again. Another decorated hallway greeted John when the door opened at the next floor.  
  
"Hellooooo? Anyone there? My head hurts. And I need to wash my arm. Nobody's there? Ok, I'll go now," he said lazily.  
  
The door shut, and the force rose to John's head, meaning the elevator was going back down. John finally noticed a panel above the doors reading the floor he was on.  
  
"F2....F1....B1..."  
  
The door opened and he was back where he had come in initially.  
  
"Nope, I've been here already," he said dreamily. "I'm tired. I'm going to sit down."  
  
He slumped down, leaning against the elevator for support. He fought back a shiver -- exposed skin on cold metal wasn't a comfortable combination. The elevator moved down another floor, revealing a metal-clad corridor. John didn't bother to get up, he just merely called out.  
  
"Hello? I'm in here. I'm hungry. My head hurts. Where are my clothes?" As the elevator door's slid shut, he added, "Bye bye."  
  
He looked back up at the console with the buttons, but decided it was too far away.  
  
"I'm tired," he said sleepily to no one in particular. "I think I'm going to take a nap...right...here..."  
  
His head slumped over onto his shoulder, and he began to snore softly.  
  
**********  
  
John was sitting on a couch, staring at the glowing embers of a dying fire. A very female body lay close him, clutching him as if he were her last vestige of warmth. As hard as he tried to get a look at her face, he couldn't see it.  
  
"Who are you?" John whispered.  
  
"You know who I am," she said, in a voice he didn't recognize.  
  
"No, I don't."  
  
"Yes you do," she said. "Look into your heart, and you will know the answer."  
  
She slipped her hand into his, and squeezed hard. And then she was gone.  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback opened his eyes and saw white. Pale, drab white. But his head rang. And hunger gnawed at his stomach.  
  
_Man, I'm tired. What happened to me? Where am I?_  
  
He looked down and noticed the white blanket covering his body, pulled up to his neck.   
  
_My head hurts. Where am I?_  
  
John looked back up at the ceiling and concentrated.  
  
_Don't tell me I just dreamed all of that?_  
  
A shadow appeared over John's head.  
  
"How are you feeling?" a benevolent voice asked.  
  
"My head hurts. I'm hungry. And I've been having the craziest dreams."  
  
John tried to make out the face looming above him, but it was too dark.  
  
"That's to be expected. Do you know where you are?"  
  
"Hospital?"  
  
"Close." A light flashed in John's eyes. "Open your eyes, please."  
  
John obeyed, and the light flashed deep into each eye. When it disappeared, he blinked hard.  
  
"Just as I expected. You have a concussion. Do you know your name?"  
  
"Sure. I'm John Jashback."  
  
The shadow nodded. "Do you know who I am?" it asked.  
  
John squinted as he tried to make out the face. "Nope. Too dark."  
  
The shadow pulled back into the light and John screamed, and he began to flail about, as if he was having a seizure. In fact, he was having a seizure. His body convulsed and trembled, his screaming cut off, as the only noises he made were sharp grunts and groans. And then everything turned to black.  
  
**********  
  
It was dark. The kind of dark where you can't see your hand in front of you.  
  
"Hello?" called out a voice from the darkness. "Is anyone there?"  
  
It was quiet. The kind of quiet where a pin dropping would sound like an explosion.  
  
"Hello?" the voice called again, resonating through the infinite silence.  
  
"Hel..." the voice was cut off as the speech was replaced with a blood-curdling scream. A scream that shatters the eardrums and scars the soul, a scream that boils the blood and sends fear speeding through the body. And as feverishly had it began it, it stopped.  
  
It was dark.  
  
It was quiet.  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback opened his eyes and saw white. Pale, drab white. But his head throbbed. And hunger gnawed at his stomach.  
  
_Wait a minute..._  
  
"Is someone there?" John called out.  
  
"Yes," a calm voice said.  
  
"Are you a big, blue gorilla?" John asked.  
  
"Er...yes," the voice said again.  
  
"Mr. McCoy?" John asked tentatively.  
  
"Yes John," the voice...Mr. McCoy said.  
  
"So I guess that wasn't a dream?"  
  
"No. And I apologize for that. I shouldn't have frightened you so."  
  
John swallowed and stared hard at the ceiling, his head throbbing like a piston. "Why does my head feel like there's a tank driving through it?"  
  
"I gave you a sedative to stop your seizure. It should wear off in a few moments." Mr. McCoy's voice paused before continuing. "John, do you know what happened to you?"  
  
"I...I think so," he began. "I was in the Danger Room, and I fell. When I woke up, I was here, alone," he said, sounding as if he were trying to convince himself that what he were saying was true. "I think I fell asleep in the elevator," he added sheepishly.  
  
"Yes you did," he said, his voice full of amusement. "I had gone upstairs to get you something to eat. When I opened the elevator doors, there you were, sleeping." His voice changed to questioning. "John...when you woke up earlier, did you have two arms?"  
  
_What kind of question is that?_  
  
"No..." John said slowly. "When I woke up, I only had the one. I made a new one grow back. Why?"  
  
"Incredible..." Mr. McCoy murmured. Louder, he said, "Excuse me for a moment, John. I am going to fetch Professor Xavier, and let him come see you."  
  
"Uh...ok."  
  
Heavy footsteps marked Mr. McCoy's departure, and John sat up to see his large, blue back disappear into the elevator. Yawning, he lay back down.  
  
_I guess if I had a seizure, then it wasn't a dream when he said I had a concussion._  
  
The throbbing in his head began to slowly ebb away.  
  
_I guess that aspirin finally decided to kick in._ A wry grin spread on his face.  
  
A few minutes later, he heard the heavy footsteps again. Professor Xavier wheeled over beside the bed, and pressed a button along the wall. The top half of the bed began to rise, until John was in a reclining position, allowing him to see more than just the ceiling.  
  
"Hello Professor," John said.  
  
"Good evening, John. And how are you feeling?"  
  
_Evening huh?_ "I've been better," he said, smiling.  
  
Professor Xavier nodded. "I'd like to apologize for the session earlier. I should not have allowed you to participate in something so dangerous, not when you are so new."  
  
"That's ok. It isn't your fault."  
  
"It is my fault. But nonetheless, it helped define your strengths and weaknesses, and in time we will build off of those to ensure such an incident does not happen again."  
  
John nodded. He was right. "So...does this mean I can get out of here and get something to eat?"  
  
The Professor smiled. "Not just yet. We have a small matter to discuss. Do you remember what happened in the Danger Room before you fell?"  
  
"I think so," John began, rubbing his chin and concentrating. "Something picked me up, and it started to swing me around. And then it dropped me. Or someone blew it up."  
  
The Professor looked over at Mr. McCoy. "Hank, would you like to fill him in?"  
  
"Fill me in? Fill me in on what?" John asked.  
  
"John, when you were picked up, you were picked up by your right arm."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The tentacle wrapped around his right arm and picked you up. It flung you around in the air, but it never dropped you."  
  
"Ok...then what does that mean? Someone destroyed it and I fell?"  
  
"Not quite. You did fall, but... It wasn't as a result of someone else's actions. You made yourself fall."  
  
John looked at him dumbstruck. "I uh...I don't follow."  
  
"John, you're evolving," said the Professor.  
  
He looked over at the man in the wheelchair. "Huh?"  
  
"John, let me see your right arm."  
  
His eyebrows rose and he looked at the blue-furred man. "What?"  
  
"Let me see your right arm."  
  
"Uh...ok." John extended his right arm.  
  
Hank McCoy took the arm in his large hands and...  
  
John's eyes rolled up in the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the bed.  
  
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Hehe. Thanks for the name suggestions everyone. I haven't quite found one I like yet, but keep sending ideas, and who knows, it might be the one.  
  
In case anyone is confused, I decided the layout of the mansion was two floors above ground, and two below (4 buttons in the elevator), with Stop and Help making six. Of course, I don't think anyone could have cared, but I felt an explanation was needed. Or not. Carry on, citizens.  



	21. Evolution, Food, Dreams, And A Letter Ho...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 21**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, and any arms that fall off.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
_I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to live my life like a normal person, not as a mutant. I didn't want to be John Jashback, the mutant whose arms fall off. I didn't want any of this..._  
  
It was a sight so grotesque and macabre, that even the most seasoned of horror writers would have trouble describing the scene. John Jashback sat nearly naked in a bed, bandage wrapped around his temples and one on his chest, cuts and bruises randomly decorating his upper body. And he had no arms. He alternated between gaping at his right shoulder and staring dejectedly at his left.  
  
"Why?" he asked dumbfounded. "How did this happen?"  
  
"It was quite possibly a defensive reaction that your body took when you were endangered," said Hank McCoy.  
  
"I had not expected evolution of your mutant powers so soon after their emergence. In fact, due to such the late age in which they manifested, I had not expected them to evolve at all," the Professor said. "John? Are you listening?"  
  
"Huh? What? Sorry," he said, snapping out of his daze. "This is all just...hard to take in at once."  
  
"That's understandable," Professor Xavier told him. "But you knew that the evolution of your mutant powers could one day occur."  
  
John nodded. As much as he wished it weren't true, the Professor was right. He sighed and reluctantly accepted his fate. Eyes rolled up in the back of his head, John screamed out in pain as a new set of arms sprung forth from his body. He fell backwards, sweating and breathing heavily. Hunger gnawed at him more than ever.  
  
"DAMN THAT HURT!!" he shouted. He looked over at the Professor and reddened slightly. "Er, sorry."  
  
"That's quite alright, John. I would assume you are more than hungry now?" John nodded. "Very well." Xavier wheeled over to the counter alongside the wall, and pulled a robe out from underneath. "If you'll put this on, we can get you upstairs." He glanced at a rather intricate and expensive-looking watch on his wrist. "It's eight o'clock already, so the other students have already eaten. You should be able to dine in relative privacy."  
  
**********  
  
The Professor left John to his own vices when they made it into the kitchen. John hobbled over to the pantry and refrigerator and pulled out anything and everything that looks appetizing. He could have cared less for what it was -- the stomach gods were angry and demanded multiple sacrifices. Shambling his way to the dining room table, John let everything he held fall onto the table. It was no feast fit for a king, but for someone who used extensive amounts of energy to regenerate limbs, it was bountiful indeed.   
  
Some time later, the table was littered with empty dishes and discarded cans and wrappers from various foods. John leaned back in his chair, eyes shut, and a contented smile on his face.  
  
"Wow, you sure were hungry," an accented voice said.  
  
Snapped out of his blissful euphoria and opened his eyes. Rogue was standing in the doorway with a skewed grin on her face. John smiled back lazily, until she began laughing. He shook with a start, when he realized his hand was under his shirt, rubbing his stomach appreciatively. Face as red as Jean Grey's hair, John laughed nervously.  
  
_I sure screwed that up._  
  
She laughed harder and sat down across from John. "How yah feelin'?"  
  
_God, she's beautiful._  
  
"Much better now," he said smiling, not sure if he was happy because he had eaten or because Rogue was there. Probably both. "My head doesn't hurt anymore, and..." He drifted off, looking around the room and smiling like an idiot.   
  
_John, why do you live in a house full of beautiful girls? I don't know. You tell me. Shut up._  
  
Looking back over at Rogue, he said, "So uh...how many people here think I died?"  
  
"Oh, Ah'd say most everyone thought so at first. Mr. McCoy and the Prof. set 'em all straight though."  
  
"Was uh...anyone in particular uh, worried about me?"  
  
She gave him a brief, knowing smile and simply said, "Maybe."  
  
Rather than press his luck, John stood up and stretched. Looking down at the mess on the table, he said, "Mind helping me clean up all this?"  
  
**********  
  
After they had finished cleaning, Rogue insisted on helping John to his room. The way she practically carried him upstairs, his arm around her shoulder, supporting him up the stairs, John was surprised she didn't try to tuck him in to bed. Not that he would have minded it if she offered. John peeled off his robe and limped into bed, trying to decide if the day's events were worse than those from the previous day. He was still debating the issue when he fell asleep.  
  
**********  
  
John opened his eyes and he was in his head. It was still dark outside, and the room was icy cold. A cloud of mist formed when air would escape his lips. He shivered under the blanket, and curled in a ball for to keep in the warmth. His door swung open, and a bright light filled his room. He shielded his eyes with a hand, giving his eyes time to adjust to the change. A figure stepped into the room, blocking the flow of light inside. John lowered his hand and blinked hard, not sure if he could believe what he was seeing -- Rogue, wearing a plain, long white dress. An unseen wind seemed to be blowing against her; her hair flowing with it. Walking slowly towards him, the light shining around her, she could have been an angel. If she had been beautiful before, now...she was Aphrodite, a goddess, beauty, radiance, elegance, grace, enchantment... She was the living form of perfection. Stopping next to the bed, she bent down, her face inches from John's. Heart pounding and blood boiling, John closed in, and pressed his lips to hers. At first, it was magical, wondrous, everything he hoped it could be. And then it changed. His heart stopped, his blood stopped, everything stopped, and he was slowly feeling weaker and weaker. He tried to pull away, but an unseen force held him close. His cries and scream muffled, John flailed about and pushed and pulled in a desperate attempt to break free. Every ounce of life was being sucked out of his body, and as he inched closer and closer to the impending darkness, Rogue never took her eyes from his...  
  
**********  
  
John propelled himself up from his bed, sweating profusely, breathing heavily, eyes darting across the room. Empty. The room looked exactly like it had when he went to sleep. The clock read 1:56, so he lay back down and ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
_Must have been a dream._  
  
John stared up at the ceiling for a moment.  
  
_Well, no crap it was a dream. If it wasn't a dream, I'd be dead._  
  
John settled back down and tried to fall back to sleep. After five minutes of futile tossing and turning, John sat up again and sighed. He went and sat down at the desk in the middle of the room, and pulled a sheet of paper and a pencil out of his backpack. He poked his nose for a moment, staring at the blank sheet. He shrugged and started writing...  
  
~**********~  
  
  
Dear Mom and Dad...  
  
I don't know why I'm writing this. Wait, I do know why. It's late, I just had a dream where a beautiful girl tried to kill me. That's why I'm writing this. I don't know if I'll send it to you or not. If I had something really important to tell you, I'd call. But then again, you can't come rushing to get me out of here if I tell you something you don't want to hear. Like this: both of them fall off now. It happened earlier today. It's no big deal. The Professor said it could happen, even if the chances were slim. But yeah, enough about that.  
  
I guess I should tell you about this place. First off, it is freakin' HUGE. I mean gargantuan. I got lost, wandering through all of hallways. It's THAT big. I should ask them for a map or something, cause I barely remember where my room is. The people here are really nice, and strange. And the girls...man oh man, are the girls here the hottest anywhere. I don't know what the hell the Professor was thinking, putting me and a bunch of other guys in a big mansion full of girls. Seven girls, ranging from drop dead gorgeous (that would be Jean, Rogue, and Miss Ororo) to cute and sweet (the other four: Kitty, Amara, Rahne, and Jubilee). But enough of that. I don't think you want to read about all the girls I can drool over while here. The guys are cool too. Scott is the oldest (of the students, that is), and he's a pretty cool guy, except the others say he's uptight. Then there's Kurt -- he's from Germany, and let's just say there's no one else like him. He's cool too, cause he shares this awesome candy with me. And then there's little Jamie. He's the youngest here, and I guess I've kind of adopted him as a little brother. He gets picked on and ignore and left out by some of the others, and since I asked him to show me around, he's become a little overprotective. The others are pretty cool, Evan, Bobby, Sam, Roberto, and Ray. I've had some interesting encounters with some of the others (including me fainting, others fainting, fires starting, making girls angry -- typical teenage activities). I'll tell you about them later.  
  
School here isn't too bad. It's not as big as the one back home, but it's not bad. My classes are easy, the people are the same as those back home, and...well, it's just a regular school. With a large mutant population. I don't know. I miss you, and I miss home, but I think it was good that I came here. I need to be around others who know what being different is like, who can help me with everything that happens and....sorry, I'm rambling. That's what happens when you write letters in the middle of the night. I guess I'll go now, but I'll be sure to right real letters and call you...  
  
With love from your son,  
John  
  
~**********~  
  
  
John set down the pencil and stared the paper he had written, not exactly content with what he had written.  
  
_Yeah well, I don't do my best work at 2 a.m._ He grinned wryly and yawned. John turned off the lamp and climbed back into his bed, mind and thoughts more clear, and somehow more relieved.  
  
_I wonder if I have a training session tomorrow. I should have made sure I asked. Bleh, I'll find out in the morning._  
  
And with that, John Jashback, the mutant whose arms fell off, drifted back to sleep.  
  
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Oh yeah. gecko came up with a cool name for John -- Shatter, and even a little battle cry to go with it: "I am Shatter! Watch me fall apart in front of you!" I'll introduce it later in the story or something.  
  
Someone asked in a review what John looks like, since he seems to be somewhat of a babe magnet (I guess). Let's see...he's...about as tall as Scott, with brown hair, brown eyes, broad shoulders, and I suppose he's a moderately attractive guy, cause in the world of X-Men Evolution, there are no ugly mutants, unless you're evil or a Morlock.  
  
In case anyone was wondering, a side effect of John's regeneration is that it uses energy from his body to do so, which boils down to he gets really hungry after making a new arm. As the case in this chapter, he regenerated both arms at once, thus meaning he needed to eat more than a reefer-head with the munchies.  



	22. Bath Time

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 22  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. I do own my original character, John Jashback, and any arms that fall off.  
  
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John Jashback stood staring out the window of his room, watching the sun rise. He slept quite soundly after writing the letter, and had no more strange dreams (that he could remember). Inside, he was full of joy. Was it from the beautiful view of the sunrise? Maybe. Was it that he had a full stomach for the first time in days? Maybe. Was it that he had a great night's sleep (for the most part)? Maybe. Was it because it was a Saturday? Hell yes.  
  
As long as you're in school, Saturday's are such magical, wonderful things, especially if you're below the age of twelve. There is no better feeling than waking up in the morning and knowing that you don't have to go to school. Few things in the world can top such an emotion.  
  
A rumbling stomach broke the serenity of the moment. John glanced over at his clock. It was only 6:30. If there were a training session this morning, someone would have woken him up. He stepped out into the hallway, but all was quiet. He took it as a good sign. Down in the kitchen, he grabbed a soda, a random piece of fruit, and some bread -- the lazy man's breakfast of champions. Back in his room, John sat at his desk, watching the rest of the sunrise and eating. It was a wondrous sight, the sun coming up over the horizon, with a fantastic view of the forest, and off in the distance, some of the larger buildings in Bayville.  
  
By the time John had finished eating and the sun had stopped rising, it was a little after seven. He grabbed a clean change of clothes and went into the bathroom, turning the faucet to as hot as it could get. He let the tub fill up, took off his hospital robe and boxers, and climbed on in.  
  
**********  
  
John stretched out languorously in the bath tub. Steam filled the room, marking the intense heat of the water that submerged most of the young man's body. The soggy bandages from his head and chest were sitting in the floor.  
  
"Oooooooooooh yeah. This feels greeeeeeeeat," he moaned dreamily.  
  
Outside, someone pounded on the bathroom door.  
  
"Occupied!" John called out. He'd been turning away people in droves from the restroom. He just prayed Kurt and Kitty knocked before trying to come in.  
  
~This is just what I needed.~  
  
Someone else knocked on the door.  
  
"I'm in here!" John said loudly.  
  
The knob turned and the door slowly opened.  
  
"HEY! I'M IN HERE!"  
  
Jamie Madrox poked his head inside.  
  
John frantically covered his private areas, and shouted at the younger mutant. "JAMIE! GET OUT!!"  
  
"I guess you're feeling better, huh?"  
  
"I WAS, but then you came in here. GET OUT!!"  
  
Jamie frowned. "C'mon. Let's go do something. We never got to yesterday."  
  
~Calm down, calm down.~  
  
"Jamie," John said, trying to calm himself, "If you don't get out right now, I'll rip off an arm and beat you over the head with it."  
  
Jamie stepped completely into the room. "Alright! Come on! Let's play!"  
  
"Dammit Jamie!! Get out, and I'll be out in two minutes!"  
  
Jamie had a shocked look on his face. "Umumumumumum!! You said a bad word!"  
  
John rolled his eyes. He had already been cussing when he was Jamie's age. But then again, if he were living at the Institute when he was Jamie's age, he probably would curse either.  
  
"Jamie...I'm getting out now, so please leave, so I can dry off and get dressed, and then we'll go do something," John said, his patience wearing VERY thin.  
  
Jamie's narrowed his eyes. "Promise?"  
  
"I promise," John said.  
  
~Will he just go already?!?~  
  
"Cross your heart and hope to die?"  
  
"Jamie...get out of here."  
  
The young boy started walking over. "You gotta pinky swear."  
  
"Ok, that's it!" John shouted. He ripped off an arm and threw it at Jamie, who ducked, the arm hitting the mirror and falling into the sink.  
  
"Ok, ok," Jamie said sheepishly. He backed out of the room, mumbling something.  
  
John sighed heavily and finally relaxed, letting himself sink to the bottom of the tub.  
  
**********  
  
Jamie was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and he jumped to his feet when John stepped out of the bathroom (with a new arm), bubbling with excitement.  
  
John frantically waved him away. "Hold on a second! Can I at least put this stuff in my room?" He didn't bother to wait for a reply, as he walked down two doors and threw in his clothing.  
  
Kurt appeared in his usual cloud of sulphur-scented smoke. "How are you doing?" he said in his German accent, clapping John on the shoulder.  
  
"Doing good, thanks, considering I got lost again, and uh, fell asleep in the elevator."  
  
Just as John had said that, Evan came walking by.  
  
"Whoa man. What's this about the elevator?" he said.  
  
John cursed himself inwardly, took a deep breath, and told his story. "I woke up in the infirmary alone, with only one arm and a concussion. I grew back the new arm, and tried to figure out where I was. I got in the elevator and tried all of the floors, but I got real tired and fell asleep. When I woke up, Mr. McCoy was there, he scared me, I fainted, I woke up, and the Professor was there too, Mr. McCoy ripped off both arms to show that my powers have evolved, I fainted AGAIN, woke up, grew back my arms, ate everything in the kitchen, and I went to bed," he finished. "What it all boils down to is," he said, thrusting his arms into the air, "They both fall off."  
  
"Cool," Kurt, Evan, and Jamie echoed together.  
  
"If you say so..." John said, shaking his head. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get something to eat."  
  
**********  
  
John sat at the dining room table, happily shoveling food into his mouth. Beside him, Kurt Wagner was doing the same. Evan Daniels and Jamie Madrox sat across from them, giving the two feeding mutants strange looks.  
  
"I wonder which one eats more," Evan said.  
  
"Not sure. Maybe they should have an eating contest," Jamie said, laughing, before he started making pig noises.  
  
John stopped eating for a moment and looked at the two mutants across from him. "I don't know about him," pointing at Kurt, "But this is a side effect of my power." John drove the point home by pulling off an arm and setting it next to his plate. He gritted his teeth and grunted, a new arm coming out. "Doing that expends a lot of my body's energy. I've got to eat a lot of replenish it." He grabbed a napkin and started cleaning off his new arm.  
  
Evan nodded in understanding. He was in the same boat too -- firing spikes out of his body depleted his calcium levels, and so he drank a lot of milk. To drive that point home, he took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and started drinking straight from it.  
  
Jamie shook his head. "I don't get it."  
  
"Jamie..." John said, shaking his head, "I HAVE to eat this much food. Kurt doesn't. He's the pig."  
  
"Hey! I resemble that remark!" said Kurt, baring his teeth.  
  
"Ugh. Do you have to eat with that at the table?" John looked over to see Kitty standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and frowning.  
  
Kurt hopped up out of his chair and grinned at her. "Vats the matter, Keety? You don't like me anymore?"  
  
"Not you Kurt. That," she said, pointing at the detached arm sitting on the table.  
  
"Er, sorry." John grabbed the arm and put it in his lap, and went back to eating.  
  
Kitty sat down at the table, but John didn't look to see what she was doing.  
  
"Hurry up John! I want to go do something!" Jamie whined.  
  
"Fine," he said exasperated. John pushed his plate over to Kurt. "Here buddy. Get fat on me."  
  
"Danke," the blue-furred mutant said, pulling the plate in front of him.  
  
John and his arm stood up and left the room, Jamie hot on his heels.  
  
"So what do you want to do?" the younger mutant asked.  
  
"Well...first thing, we're gonna bury this thing," 'this thing' being his arm. "And then...well, let's just take things one step at a time.  
  
**********  
  
Jamie smoothed the dirt over the hole where John's arm now rested.  
  
"It was a good arm, and will be sorely missed," Jamie pronounced.  
  
John couldn't help but laugh. "Yes...I will miss my arm and all the things we did together."  
  
Jamie nodded. Who then broke into a fit of laughter.  
  
~Hey John? You there?~  
  
John gave a start and looked around. "Jamie...did you uh, hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
~John? You there?~  
  
~Um....who's inside my head?~  
  
Delightful laughter filled his head. ~You agreed that we could take you shopping today.~  
  
John looked around for a moment. Then the memories flooded back. He had said yes when some of the girls offered to take him shopping after the whole fire incident.  
  
~Uh. Is that you Jean?~  
  
John felt stupid after saying/thinking that, because there weren't exactly a lot of female telepaths at the mansion.  
  
"Of course. I don't sound like the Professor, do I?~  
  
~Uh...I guess not.~  
  
~Didn't think so.~ The image of Jean grinning filled his mind. ~Come back inside, so we can go.~  
  
~Uh, ok.~  
  
"Are you ok?" Jamie asked, looking up at John.  
  
"Yeah. I just have to go back inside now. I said that some of the others could take me to get some new clothes today. So I guess we're uh, going to go do that now."  
  
Shopping with girls...the idea made John shiver. Girls took such a long time, trying stuff on, looking at everything, doing this, that, and the other. Men knew what they wanted, and went in, got it, and then left.  
  
~I couldn't have been in the right frame of mind to agree to go. I almost burnt the house down a few minutes before they asked. I was in shock. I wasn't thinking straight.~  
  
He sighed and shook his head. Shopping with girls...John could barely stand going to the grocery store with his mother. John shook his head and began walking back to the mansion, wondering if he had signed his own death warrant when he agreed to this.  
  
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John's lazy man breakfast of champions - I eat that every morning. It's good brain food. 


	23. Adventures in Shopping

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 23**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all. Thanks for all of the positive feedback, everyone. It's good that people like what I write, cause you know, if you didn't, I wouldn't be writing. You know, I don't know where I'd be without Post's big reviews. Seriously man, you rock. I think you might be looking too much into the dreams, even though I write the sequences and some are just products of male hormones (like the one with Kitty). Just be glad I haven't (yet) inserted off-the-wall dreams like I have sometimes, where I'm playing football with Hobbits or driving a taxi to Russia.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I only own John Jashback, and his arms that fall off. And your souls...hahahahahaha. Ok, sorry.  
  
Note: If you really like Pietro, or don't like me questioning his sexuality, skip this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you.  
  
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John Jashback stepped through the front doors of the mansion, and found himself staring at every female student in the Institute, who looked like wolves eyeing a deer stuck in some brambles.  
  
_If I'm gonna back out, it has to be now..._  
  
"Listen...I appreciate all this. I really do, but I don't know if it's such a good idea. Besides, I uh, don't have any money."  
  
"Don't worry," Jean said, pulling something out of her purse. "The Professor loaned us his credit card."  
  
_And he trusts a bunch of girls with it?_  
  
"Um...uh...ok... Still...I wouldn't want to uh, impose or anything."  
  
"You didn't bring that much stuff with you, John. Do you honestly expect us to believe you carried enough clothing in that little bag you brought?" Jean asked.  
  
"Er...well...uh...I guess you're uh...right...." John said timidly.  
  
"Then it's settled," the redhead said.  
  
"C'mon! Let's go!" shouted Jubilee, who darted for the door, and grabbed John's arm to drag him with her. Of course, she caught John by surprise, so when she pulled....  
  
She squeaked. There was no better explanation for the noise Jubilee made. She alternated, staring wide-eyed at the arm she held that was no longer attached to a body, and John, standing there with only one arm, a shirt sleeve hanging limply.  
  
"Er, uh....sorry," John said, his face a deep crimson. He snatched the arm from her hand and held it behind his back, while he forced out a new one. John sagged for a moment, and he was already starting to sweat (although some of it was from staring at the female occupants of the mansion).  
  
_That's two times today. I wonder how many it'll end up being._  
  
John glanced over to the others, who all had different reactions to his arm regeneration. Kitty and Amara looked like they were going to turn green, Jubilee much the same. Jean had a look of disgust on her face, but she quickly masked it with one of total neutrality. Rogue bit back laughter, and Rahne stared at the floor.  
  
"Er...yeah. I guess this means we aren't going, huh?"  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback sat in the back of the van, a vexed look on his face, as it's cargo of him and six mutant teenage girls drove towards the Bayville mall. Mutant teenage girls. Alone, those are powers to be reckoned with. Together though... Well, John was just glad Rogue was there, though she wore an amused little smile on her face. She didn't seem like someone who went shopping a lot, or at least not with the girls from the Institute.  
  
"You know, all this for me isn't necessary!" John called to the front.  
  
"Who says we're just getting stuff for you?" someone from the front yelled.  
  
_How did I get myself into this?_  
  
John nudged Rogue in the seat next to him. "They uh, aren't going to try and uh, dress me, are they?"  
  
"And who says Ah'm not gonna try an' dress ya?" she said with a wink.  
  
John tried not to groan too loud.  
  
**********  
  
"Ooooh, this would look go great on you!" Kitty squealed, holding a shirt up to John's chest.  
  
John sighed, rolling his eyes. "Too fancy for me," putting the shirt back on the rack.  
  
Somehow, John found himself in the men's department of some fancy store with Kitty Pryde. The others had all gone off to look at various things for themselves or something for John.  
  
"You just like, don't like anything I pick, do you?" Kitty shouted.  
  
John wished it was Rogue who was with him. She probably wouldn't have cared what he wanted, and she certainly wouldn't be trying to get him into fancy designer clothing.  
  
"How about this?" she asked, holding up another shirt.  
  
"Do you try and dress Lance?" John interrupted.  
  
Kitty's face reddened for a moment. "I've tried, but he won't wear anything I pick."  
  
John thought on that for a moment and grinned wryly. "I guess there's not much I can do to keep you from this. Alvers can bring the building down. Me? My arms will fall off, making escape harder for me, and making your job easier."  
  
_Well, I guess this means she doesn't want me dead anymore. Maybe Alvers told her what I did at school._  
  
Before Kitty could grab another shirt John didn't like, he grabbed a plain, dark blue t-shirt off a table and held it up. "This is what I want, and this is what I'm getting."  
  
Kitty stuck out her tongue at John. "That's like, so boring. Here, try this one!"  
  
John never gave her a chance. He turned heel and darted off, back hunched over, in a desperate attempt to hide.  
  
"Hey wait! Get back here!" Kitty shouted.   
  
John dove into the middle of a clothes rack, and rolled himself into a ball. A pair of feet passed by, and John poked his head out to see Kitty disappear around behind a row of jeans. He relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Hey, you're the new X-Geek," a voice said rapidly. "What the hell are you doin' down there?"  
  
John looked up to see the white-haired member of the Brotherhood staring down at him.  
  
"Who, uh, me? I was just uh, takin' a little rest," John said, and stood up and stepped out from inside the clothing rack.  
  
"There you are, John!" chimed Kitty, walking over to him. "Where'd you go? I found a great pair of pants that totally go with the shirt I got for you." Then she spotted his company. "Ugh, like what are you doing here, Pietro?"  
  
"I could say the same for you, Miss Kitty," he said in his rapid-fire speech. "You cheatin' on Lance with this new guy?"  
  
Kitty blushed slightly. "Like no way!" she yelled indignantly.  
  
"She's just helping me get some clothes," John said, looking Pietro right in the eyes. "Besides, I don't like anything she picks out."  
  
"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Kitty said angrily.  
  
"Yeah. I bet she's helping you try on the clothes too," the white-haired mutant said, leering at Kitty.  
  
"No, but I bet you wish you were helping me try 'em on though, huh?" John said, sneering.  
  
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Pietro shouted.  
  
Kitty started to giggle loudly. This was really starting to get entertaining for her.  
  
"Well, you're gay, aren't you?" The way John said it, so matter-of-factly, made Pietro fume on the inside. His face went red, and looked ready to burst into flames. If he were a cartoon character, steam would have shot out his ears.  
  
"Gay? GAY?!? I'LL SHOW YOU GAY!!" Pietro yelled, and took a swing at John. Being as fast as he was, and as angry as he was, the hit connected hard with John's jaw. He staggered backwards a few steps before regaining control. He brought a hand up to his lip and checked for blood. There wasn't any. Yet. John balled up a fist and pulled back his arm and surged forward, taking a swing at Pietro. Once again, the mutant's speed was to his benefit as he easily dodged the attack, countering with his elbow being planted in John's stomach. John coughed and gagged, and fell onto his knees, clutching his stomach, breath coming in short gulps.  
  
_Christ...he....hits....hard..._  
  
"Pietro, stop it!" Kitty shouted, running over and pushing him away from John. "Get out of here now!"  
  
"Yeah, I was about to go anyway. Your boyfriend's too slow to be any kind of challenge." A gust of wind signaled his speedy departure.  
  
John started to stand up, but his lungs weren't quite ready, and he slumped back onto his knees.  
  
Kitty bent down next to him. "Are you ok?" she asked soothingly.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be...fine. Just let me...catch my breath," he said slowly.  
  
_Jesus, my bad luck is so bad, I can't even buy clothes without something happening._  
  
"C'mon," she said, pulling him up (but careful not to pull too hard), "Let's get out of here. I think we've caused a big enough scene already."  
  
John looked around. Sure enough, various employees and customers had gathered around to see what all the commotion was about. They made their way over to the ladies department, and found Jubilee, Rahne, and Amara exclaiming over various clothing. They seemed at home in such an environment, especially Jubilee. It was scary, to say the least.   
Seeing their arrival, Rahne said, "Did you guys get anything?"  
  
John was content with just shaking his head but Kitty spoke up. "Mr. Armless here didn't like anything I picked out for him. Besides, we like ran into Pietro and had to leave."   
"So that's what all that noises was," Jubilee said.  
  
"What's that about Pietro?" asked Jean, who seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.  
  
"Oh, he and John like got into a fight after John called him gay," Kitty explained.  
  
Jean gasped. "You called him gay?"  
  
John looked down at the floor for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah well uh, I thought he was gay. He does kind of come off as it."  
  
"I always thought he was kind of cute," said Amara, who gave a start when she realized she said it out loud. She blushed and looked away from everyone.  
  
"Who's cute?" asked Rogue as she came walking up.  
  
"Amara likes Pietro! Amara likes Pietro!" Jubilee sang.  
  
"Yah didn't get anything?" Rogue asked John.  
  
"Heh, no. Pietro and I got into a fight before I found anything."  
  
"Now why would that happen?"  
  
"I'll tell you later. And since uh, you don't look like you're done here, I'll go try to find some clothes. By myself," he added, more for Kitty to hear. She made a face and stuck her tongue out at him but made no move to follow when he started walking away.  
  
Rapid footsteps behind him marked someone running to catch up. Amara came to a stop next to John, but didn't say anything to him. They walked along in silence for a moment before John finally said, "Hello."  
  
"Hi."  
  
"So uh...how are you doing?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
John nodded, and they continued walking in silence. Every so often, John would glance over at the girl, who seemed to be arguing with herself over something.  
  
_Boy, this conversation sure is opening up doors._  
  
They made their way back to the men's department, and John managed to find some clothing that wasn't too 'preppy' for him.  
  
"I'm going to uh, go try these on," motioning with some pants he was holding. "I'll uh, be right out."  
  
Amara nodded and sat down in a chair outside the fitting rooms, by now, she was visibly arguing with herself. John raised an eyebrow, but went to try on the clothing. Five minutes later, John came out of the fitting rooms, satisfied with the clothing he had picked out. Amara jumped to her feet with a big smile when he came out.  
  
_I wonder what she's so happy about._  
  
John managed to put up a smile himself. "Well, they all fit. So uh, ready to go find the others?"  
  
"Hey John, you want to go out with me tonight?" she asked excitedly.  
  
John's mouth formed an 'O' and his eyes darted around the store for a moment.   
  
_Wow, that came out of left field. Am I on Candid Camera or something?_  
  
Her smile started to diminish at the lack of an answer, and she started to lower her head.   
  
John blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "Uh...sure."  
  
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Oh yeah. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it! 


	24. The Calm Before The Storm

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 24  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for all of the reviews. John gets weak around girls (like half of the male teenage population) -- it's his kryptonite. I had originally written the fight with John and Pietro in the previous chapter to be much longer, consisting off John ripping off his arm and beating Pietro senseless with it, but when I had finished writing it, it came off really gruesome and violent, and made John look like a maniac. If I had kept it, I would have had to up the rating to 'R' so I decided against it. And I couldn't find a suitable way to end the scene, so you got the toned down 'John-Gets-Beat-Up-Only' version. I think it came out for the better. If anyone has suggestions or requests for anything in this story (especially the date), by all means, tell me. Please.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I only own John Jashback, and his arms that fall off. And your souls...hahahahahaha. Ok, sorry.  
  
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The ability to walk while carrying items in your hands is a basic motor skill learned at an early age. The same cannot be said when one is carrying items in one arm, while a person is attached to the other. Especially when your arms can fall off. Now such a scenario is not one much of the population of the world needs to worry about. In fact, it only affects one such person, and his name is John Jashback.  
  
John Jashback found himself walking through an moderately upscale department store in the Bayville mall, clothing that he found suitable to wear in one arm, a pretty dark-haired girl on the other. Amara Aquilla had such a tight grip on John's arm, that he was afraid if he made any sudden movements, that it would fall right off. Such a thing happening would prove disastrous, as the girl would find herself holding onto an arm, and nothing more, and John would find himself in a public area shy a limb.  
  
~Why did I say yes? I don't know anything about taking out girls.~  
  
And it was true. John had never had a girlfriend. He was just so awkward around girls. He'd only kissed a girl once, and it was a friend of his, so it didn't really count.  
  
~What are you supposed to do on dates? Where the heck am I supposed to take her? What the hell am I supposed to wear?~  
  
John knew zilch about dating. Everything he did know came from TV and movies, and those aren't exactly the best of reference material. On the inside, he groaned.  
  
~Well, at least Rahne was right when she said Amara liked me. But why? This is only my fourth day here. I barely know the girl.~  
  
John looked down at Amara. She was pretty. There was no denying it. He bent down and sniffed her hair. She even smelled pretty.  
  
~Four days, and she wants to go out with me. I don't get it. I'm not good looking, last I checked. Maybe it was that whole fire ordeal. In some twisted way, did me making her faint, starting the fire, dragging her out of the way, burning my shirt on the fire, dragging her even farther out of the way, peeing on the fire, burning my pants on the fire, and having to walk through the mansion in my boxers make me somehow attractive? God, I hope not.~  
  
He looked back down at her. She had a little smile on her face, and her expression just emanated contentment.  
  
~Even if I live to be a hundred, I'll never understand girls.~  
  
As they rounded a corner, John spotted the other girls up ahead, minus Rogue, still looking at clothes.  
  
"Well uh, there they are," he said.  
  
Without warning, Amara broke away from John and ran forward to greet the others. He was still out of earshot when they all crowded around Amara.  
  
~What in the world is going on up there?~  
  
As John approached, he held up his clothes. "Well uh, I got myself some clothes, after all."  
  
"That's not all you got, from what we heard," crooned Jubilee.  
  
Kitty and Rahne chimed in with a chorus of "Ooooooooooo." Amara blushed and Jean laughed.  
  
"Uh yeah uh..." John stammered. "Er uh...are we uh, done here or something?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so," said Jean. "We couldn't find anything."  
  
~That's a surprise.~  
  
Inwardly, John kicked himself.  
  
~Not around the telepath, moron!~  
  
"Ok, well uh...I guess we should uh, go pay for this now."  
  
As they made their way to a cash register, John found himself in an odd situation. He and Jean were at the head of the pack, Amara and the other girls were behind them, whispering and laughing quietly amongst each other. About that time Rogue appeared from wherever she had been, and her presence oddly made John feel more relaxed.  
  
"Ah see yah found some clothes," she said.  
  
"Huh? Oh, these, yeah. I uh, finally found something plain enough for me in all that. This uh, aint my kind of place to go shopping. I usually just go to Wal-Mart or something."  
  
Rough laughed. "Yah, this aint mah kind of place either."  
  
After they had paid for the clothes and made their way back out to the van, John found himself confronted with another dilemma. Was he supposed to sit with Amara or something? They weren't dating *yet* so he wasn't quite certain on the course of action to make. He made sure he was the first one into the van, and climbed into the back, just to be on the safe side. To his absolute confusion, Kitty, Rahne, Jubilee, and Amara crowded into the row of seats in front of him, giggling and whispering with each other.  
  
Rogue came in and settled into the back with John, pointing to the girls in front of them. "What're they all worked up for?" she whispered.  
  
"I uh, don't know. Maybe me?"  
  
Rogue gave him a confused look.  
  
"Er uh, Amara asked me out, and I uh, said yes," John whispered timidly.  
  
Understanding dawned in Rogue's eyes and she smiled evilly. "Look at yah, this is only your fourth day, and yah got a girlfriend."  
  
John laughed nervously and went red in the face. "Well uh, I wouldn't exactly say that."  
  
Rogue laughed. "When's the date?"  
  
"Tonight."  
  
"Ya'll didn't waste any time, did yah?"  
  
John shook his head. "How did I get into this? I don't know what I'm supposed to do on a date."  
  
"Take her to dinner, or to a movie," Rogue suggested.  
  
"But I don't have a car," John replied.  
  
"Hmm. That could be a problem. Maybe Scott'll let yah borrow his car," she said hopefully.  
  
That wasn't such a bad idea. John did have a driver's licence, an out-of- state driver's licence, but a licence nonetheless. But...  
  
John shook his head and sighed. "But I don't know where anything is in this town!" he whispered.  
  
"Then yah can get lost and...yah know..." she said, winking.  
  
John tried not to groan too loud.  
  
~I'm dead.~  
  
"Don't worry about it," Rogue said. "It'll be fahne."  
  
John nodded, understanding, but his body was complying with his brain's orders.  
  
The ride home felt like an eternity, John spending the whole trip fidgeting in his seat, the anxiety in his body ready to make him explode.  
  
~I'm so dead.~  
  
**********  
  
John was the last one who went inside when they got back to the mansion. He walked very slowly to the door, lost in his own thoughts. In fact, he was so deep in them, he nearly walked right into the door. He caught himself at the last moment, and opened the door.  
  
~God, that would have been my luck, to walk into the door.~  
  
John walked up to his room and closed the door behind him, tossing his new clothes on the bed. The clock read 12:00, meaning he had at least six hours to figure out just what he was going to do. He walked over to the desk and stared into the large mirror above it.  
  
"You idiot," he said out loud to himself. "John, you're an idiot." He started to hit his head against the mirror.  
  
"Am I interrupting something?"  
  
John looked over to see Jamie standing in his doorway.  
  
"Jamie! Buddy!" John exclaimed. He ran over and folded the younger boy in a bear hug, squeezing him tight and lifting him off the ground.  
  
"John...can't...breath..." Jamie coughed out.  
  
John dropped him back onto the ground. "Sorry about that."  
  
Rubbing his shoulders, he said, "Are uh...you ok, John?"  
  
"Er, sorry. C'mon, let's go do something. I need to take my mind off of earlier."  
  
"What happened earlier?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Uh...I'll tell you later. Come on. Let's go."  
  
**********  
  
John tossed the basketball to Jamie, who made a shot at the basket, missing, sending the ball ricocheting off the backboard and right back to John. He dribbled the ball a couple of times and took a shot himself, but it missed by a long shot.  
  
"Jamie, I think I've come to an important conclusion," John said.  
  
"What's that?" Jamie said, before taking another shot at the basket...and missing.  
  
"We suck at basketball," he replied, running over to get the ball.  
  
"We aren't that bad," the younger mutant said. "So...you going to tell me what happened today?"  
  
John sighed. "I ran into one of the guys from the Brotherhood. The fast guy. He uh, roughed me up a little, then left." He looked around a moment before continuing. "And uh, Amara asked me out."  
  
"That's all?" Jamie said. "That's no big deal." He walked over to John and took the ball, actually managing to sink a shot.  
  
"I wish. Listen, I've got to go inside and talk to Scott for a minute. You coming with me?"  
  
Jamie nodded and took one last shot, and the two left the ball resting on the concrete.  
  
**********  
  
John knocked on the door.  
  
"Come on!" called a voice from inside.  
  
John, Jamie. What's up guys?" Scott said when the two walked inside.  
  
John took a deep breath. "Scott, can I ask you a big favor?"  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"Can I uh, borrow your car tonight?"  
  
Scott stared at him for a moment, before laughing. "That's funny. I could have sworn you just asked to borrow my car."  
  
"Er...I did."  
  
Scott stared at him.  
  
"Well uh, I've got this date with uh, Amara tonight, and uh, I was wondering if I could uh, borrow your uh, car." John smiled uneasily. "Please?"  
  
"You've only been here four days. How can you be doing on a date already?"  
  
John held up his arms defensively. "Hey now, she's the one who asked me out. And for some twisted reason, I agreed."  
  
Scott stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Take the van."  
  
"Oh, come on! Would you take Jean out in that van?"  
  
It was a low blow, and John knew it. But it worked. Scott's face darkened and if John could see his eyes, he would have been glaring too.  
  
"Please Scott? I'll do anything you want me to do," he pleaded.  
  
"Ok," he said, pulling out his keys and tossing them to John. "When you get back, come see me, and I'll tell you what you're going to have to do. Don't mess up my car, either," he warned.  
  
"Ok, sure thing," John said, bowing slightly, and backing out of the room. "I really appreciate this. I won't hurt your car."  
  
John and Jamie left the room and were about to turn the corner to the hallway that led back to the mansion foyer, when Scott poked his head out his door. "And fill it up with gas before you come back!"  
  
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You know, when I think back on this story, I never expected it to be in this spot. In fact, I never expected to write a story in the first place. I always thought that I lacked the talents to write a long-term story. I knew I could write short stories or come up with ideas that would make good stories, but I didn't think I could write something like this, but you all have proven me wrong. Thanks a lot. I really and truly appreciate this from the bottom of my heart, and I only hope I can continue to write a story that you continue to enjoy. 


	25. A Little Bit More Calm Before The Storm

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here Chapter 25  
  
Author's Note: Stuff surrounded in ~ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for all of the reviews. Wow Post, I had no idea my story had such impact :) And in case anyone wants to know, I try to write a chapter a day, which I've been really good at doing (I haven't gone a day without posting a chapter).  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback.  
  
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John Jashback sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the floor. He wasn't sure how long he'd been staring. It felt like an hour. John looked over at the clock. It had been five minutes. He sighed and fell backwards onto the bed.  
  
~Maybe staring at the ceiling will make time pass much faster.~  
  
"John, I'm bored," Jamie whined.  
  
"Jamie," John said, looking over at the younger mutant, "Have I ever told you how lucky you are?"  
  
"I think so. Why do you say that anyway? If I were lucky, they wouldn't say I was too little to do anything fun."  
  
John shook his head. All Jamie worried about was acceptance. He didn't have to worry about girls...yet.  
  
Then again, John worried about acceptance, too. Anyone who gets taken out of their natural environment and put in a new one battles for acceptance. Being a mutant in a house full of mutants made that easier, but then again, aside from special abilities, they were teenagers, too. And teenagers with special abilities were forces to be reckoned with.  
  
John shook his head again. He was letting himself drift away from the important issue: his date.  
  
~Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion. It's no big deal, really. I mean, sure, you've never been on a date before, but it can't be *that* bad. Can it?~  
  
"Come on, John. Let's go do something," Jamie said, who started to pull John off the bed by his arm. And sure enough...  
  
John stood up and sighed. "I'm shy a pin already. Let's go, Private."  
  
And with that, a one-armed mutant and a three-armed mutant left the room.  
  
**********  
  
With his arm regrown, and the old one buried, John and Jamie found themselves in the dining room, for no other reason than that John needed nourishment. Eating the lazy man's breakfast of champions, the two mutants watched TV, although John really wasn't paying attention. The date was like the elephant hiding behind the curtains; you could only ignore it for so long before you had to figure out what to do with it.  
  
~Maybe an elephant will come trample me. Then I won't have to go.~  
  
John knew he was delaying the inevitable. It was exactly he was doing. Sure, he had Scott's car, and he probably had some clothes that would look decent enough, but he still didn't know where jack crap was in Bayville.  
  
~Heh. I could always ask Amara when we go. Of course, then I'll look like a jackass.~  
  
And like a message from God, John's savior had arrived.  
  
Well...not exactly.  
  
Kurt appeared in his usual hazy entrance, a big goofy grin on his blue face.  
  
"So Mister Lefty, I hear you have a date with Amara tonight."  
  
"You can't call me Lefty anymore if both arms fall off."  
  
"No, but I can call you Gimpy, ja?"  
  
John gave him a very dry look. "So yeah, I've got a date with Amara."  
  
"So vere are you two going?" Kurt asked, now rooting through the pantry for food.  
  
Sighing, John said, "That, Herr Wagner, is the root of my problem. I don't know where anything is in this town, which really limits where I can take her."  
  
"Just take her to the movies. Zats always a good first date."  
  
"Do you happen to have a map that leads from here to there on you?" John asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.  
  
"I bet there's one in ze van. I'll go check."  
  
Kurt disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and seconds later, reappeared, holding something in his three-fingered hand.  
  
"Here," he said, handing John a book.  
  
He flipped it open to reveal one of those books with the cities blocked into grids with all the street names and such. John couldn't quite remember the name of it, though.  
  
"Thanks Kurt, but uh, I still don't know where a movie theater is."  
  
John coughed as the smoke engulfed him, and Kurt was gone. A second later, he was back, a phonebook in hand. Flipping through the pages, he pointed John to the listings of movie theaters.  
  
"And zere you go."  
  
John looked down at the phone book and then back up at Kurt. "Movies, huh? Think it'll work?"  
  
"Hey man! Don't doubt the fuzzy one. It'll be fine."  
  
~I hope so.~  
  
**********  
  
"Anticipation. Anticipation. Is making me late. Is keeping me waiting."  
  
Waiting.  
  
John was back sitting on his bed and staring at the clock. He ran a hand through his hair and tapped his foot nervously on the floor. It was 6 o'clock. Only an hour left. Butterflies the size of battleships were floating around in his stomach. He felt close to vomiting.  
  
The other students all had some sort of comment to tell John whenever they saw him. It seemed everyone knew, and all thought it was so nice and great, which confused the hell out of John.  
  
~I've only been here four days. How can this all be so great and nice? You know John, it's not too late to back out. You could decline, fake sick, really get sick, get hurt, run away, go back home, and you don't have to deal with this.~  
  
The idea seemed so tempting. But all this fuss over a date? John shook his head.  
  
~I'm overreacting. Yeah. That's all. This isn't too bad. Yeah. You've just never been on a date. It's no big deal. But you know, it isn't that bad. I mean, so what if it turns out bad? It's not like I really know her. It won't make any huge emotional scars. Yeah. No big deal. I hope.~  
  
John had made sure with the Professor that it was okay that he was going out. He didn't want to get in trouble and end up doing extra training sessions. He also went to the Professor to beg for some money. And boy, it was awkward.  
  
John had poked his head into Amara's room momentarily, after talking to the Professor. She was fine with going to the movies, and leaving at seven was just fine for her. While it was a quick conversation, it was even more awkward than the one he had just had.  
  
Rooting though his meager possessions, John found a shirt and pants that were suitable enough to wear -- not too casual, not too fancy.  
  
~They had better be good enough, or I'm screwed. I don't think anyone here has clothes I can borrow that'll fit...except maybe Scott. And I think he'd be willing to do me another favor.~  
  
John wondered briefly what he would have to do to work off his debt. He wouldn't know until later in the evening.  
  
~Just another thing to worry about, I guess.~  
  
Picking up his hospital robe and a pair of boxers, John left his room and headed over to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower, hoping it would put him at ease, just for a little while, so he could make it through the rest of the day.  
  
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Oh yeah, today's episode, 'Under Lock and Key', was very very mucho badass (in my opinion). It's a damn shame that there's only four new episodes left in the season (meaning we're going to get hit with reruns out the wazoo until May).  
  
Sorry this chapter seemed so short. I want to put the date in a chapter all to itself, so I ended this one kind of early. 


	26. The Storm Cometh, or The Date

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 26**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback.  
  
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John Jashback pressed his face up against the fogged up mirror of the bathroom and began to mumble incoherently to himself.  
  
"How much ham...could a..." He trailed off and began to look around, bleary eyed. Apparently content with his solitude, he pressed his face back up against the mirror, and started to make a noise that could only be described as a mix between laughter and mumbling.  
  
_John, stop wasting time and go get dressed._  
  
Pulling his face away, he stared at the mark his face left and wiped away a big enough space so that he could see himself. He stood up straight and squared his jaw, examining himself in the mirror.  
  
_Well...it's go time._  
  
He pulled on his boxers and threw on the robe and picked up his dirty clothes and went back to his room, and performed the standard post-bathing routines (I don't feel the need to go into that, since you all know what they are, unless you live like Toad). He put on his semi-decent, date-worthy clothes, tucking in his shirt and putting on a belt, combing his hair, before slumping down onto his bed. He looked over at his reflection in the mirror.  
  
_I guess I look decent...I can't put this off any longer._  
  
Pausing only to make sure he hadn't applied too much cologne, John shut his door behind him and headed down into the mansion foyer. The room was empty, for which he heartily thanked God for, and sat on the sofa, tapping a foot impatiently. If battleships had been floating in John's stomach earlier, planets had to be flying around inside him now. He quickly felt under his arms to make sure he hadn't started sweating like crazy, and felt around his pockets to ensure that he had the keys. As if the keys were a beacon, Scott appeared out of one of the many twisting hallways and corridors that led to the front of the Institute.  
  
He sat down and slapped John on the back. "Don't sweat it. It'll be fine," he said reassuringly, as if he could sense his anxiety.  
  
John only nodded, hoping that it would all be fine.  
  
"Just remember; don't mess up the car."  
  
John looked over at the older mutant and said, "Thanks. That was real helpful."  
  
"Sorry," he replied, pausing for a moment. "And there's my cue to leave."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
John looked up as Scott walked away, but his eyes drifted to the top of the stairs. There was Amara, wearing something not too fancy and not too casual (such a detail isn't really necessary to know). She smiled at John, who jumped to his feet, and began walking down the stairs.  
  
_Whoa. She looks..._  
  
When she reached the bottom, John tried to say something but found his throat to be bone dry. He coughed and cleared it out before saying, "You uh, look uh, really uh..." Starting to trail off, he caught himself. "You look uh, really nice. Er uh, great. Really uh...nice and uh...great..."  
  
"Thank you," she said, going crimson before looking up at John and smiling. "You look nice, too."  
  
John laughed nervously and reddened slightly, and very nearly ran over to the door to hold it open for her. She smiled warmly at the gesture of chivalry and did the same when he opened the car door for her. John fumbled with the keys for a moment before putting them into the ignition, starting the car and heading down the long, twisting driveway of the mansion.  
  
Out on the road, John found himself very confused.  
  
_Was I supposed to turn there? Exit here? Dammit, I should have brought the map with me._  
  
"So uh...how are you doing?" John asked, trying to make idle conversation as he attempted to remember how to get to the theater.  
  
"I'm fine. And I'm glad to wanted to go out with me."  
  
John took his eyes off the road for a moment to look over at her. "Me too."  
  
"I'm sorry," he said a minute later, breaking the odd silence.  
  
"For what?" Amara asked.  
  
"I uh, kinda...got lost. I forgot which way to go."  
  
"Don't worry. I know how to get there," she said laughing, and pointed him in the right direction.  
  
Moments later, they had arrived, Amara's directions proving correct. As it turned out, John had missed a turn, and was a street over from where he was supposed to be.  
  
"So uh, what do you want to see?" John asked, pointing at the various movies playing.  
  
"I don't know. What do you want to watch?"   
  
_I really don't want to see anything._   
  
John stood in silence for a moment, debating with himself.  
  
"You know...how about we don't see anything? Let's go somewhere and talk. I barely know anything about you, except that you're pretty and you can make fire."  
  
Amara reached up and pulled his head down to hers and kissed him.  
  
_What the hell...?_  
  
"Wh...wh...what was that for?" he spluttered after she pulled away.  
  
"For saying I was pretty," she said, a twinkle in her eye. "Come on. Let's get out of here," she said, gingerly taking his arm and pulling him away from the theater but not to the car.  
  
"W...where are we going? The car is over there..."  
  
"You're cute, you know?" She said, much to John's surprise. "Now come with me."  
  
Confused to no end, John had no choice, except to follow.  
  
**********  
  
"So tell me...why'd you ask me out in the first place?"  
  
John had his arm around Amara's shoulder, and they were strolling through a park. It was only a few blocks from the theater, and quite large for something in the middle of the city. The setting was calm and serene, and very still in the darkness. They had been walking and talking for quite some time; really introducing themselves to one another, finding out their likes and dislikes, talking briefly on where they were from and just generally getting to know one another.  
  
"Well..." she began, "I just wanted to apologize for the fire... The others told me what you did to try and put it out."  
  
"Ah," John said, nodding. He stopped and looked down at her. "Is that the only reason why?" he asked slyly.  
  
She looked up and blushed. "Well, and because I thought you were cute."  
  
John grinned and walked over to a nearby stone bench, sitting down and motioning for her to do the same. "Well...I'm glad you asked, even if this didn't turn out quite as I had planned."  
  
She smiled and sat down beside him, resting her head on his arm.   
  
"Although I do this this is turning out better than I could have hoped." Wrapping his arm around her again, John looked up at the night sky and blew up a strand of hair on his forehead, content and relaxed for the first time since he'd woken up that morning.  
  
"I really wish we had done this sooner. The talking, I mean. It would have saved me from a lot of grief," John said.  
  
"Oh really? Why?" Amara asked.  
  
"Well," John said, laughing to himself, "I've spent the whole day worrying about this, about where to take you, what to do, why you asked me out. I had to beg for Scott to loan me his car, and had to look on a map for places to go. This is all a new experience to me, especially in a new place. But now...this is different, and when I say different, I mean better. I'm not so nervous around you anymore, either."  
  
_And thank God for that, too._  
  
Amara smiled up at him and nodded.  
  
"We'll just try the whole 'dating' thing another time, if that's fine with you," John said, his nervousness returning.  
  
"I'd like that," she said, before leaning her head back on John, a small smile on her face.  
  
**********  
  
As Scott's car came into John's sight, he spotted a person sitting on the hood of it, but was too far away to tell who it was. As he get closer, he still couldn't tell who the person was, as his back was to John, and his head bent down.  
  
"Uh, excuse me. Can I help you with something?" John called out.  
  
"You sure can," a familiar voice said rapidly.  
  
_Oh hell..._  
  
In a flash, Pietro Maximoff was standing in front of John. "Hey, how you doin', buddy?" He looked over at Amara. "Oooooh, you two on a date?"  
  
"Go away," John said simply.  
  
"I see the car, but I don't see Summers," Pietro replied, ignoring what John had said.  
  
"He isn't here. He let me borrow the car. Now if you'll excuse us..." John went to push past the lanky, white-haired mutant, but he stuck an arm to block him.  
  
_Stay cool, John. Just stay cool._  
  
"I don't think so," and with a flash, Pietro slipped his hands into John's pockets, and pulled out the car keys. "You can't go anywhere if I have these," he said, grinning impudently.  
  
_Alright, I've had enough of this._  
  
With one hand, John clamped onto Pietro's shoulder in a tight vice-grip, and with the other hand...   
Too deeply engaged and entertained with what he had done, Pietro didn't have time to move out of the way of John's fist, and it impacted square into his nose. He let out a girlish yelp and brought his hands up to his face.  
  
"That was for the keys," John growled. "And this..." he said, bringing his arm back around, collided into his jaw. John let go of his shoulder and pushed him aside. "That...that was for this morning." After picking up the keys, John walked over to the passenger door and opened it, and Amara climbed inside, a beaming smile on her face.  
  
**********  
  
Pietro blinked hard and rubbed the side of his jaw, pushing himself up with his free arm.  
  
_Man, that punk hit hard..._  
  
A bright, yellow light filled his eyes, and he slammed his eyelids shut.   
  
"What the..." he said aloud.  
  
Standing up, he looked past the light to the inside of the car, where the new X-Geek stared at him with a grim smile on his face, and a dark-skinned girl laughed and waved at him.  
  
The car backed out and sped out of the parking lot, leaving Pietro standing in the dark, lightly touching his nose, wondering how the hell someone had gotten the jump on him.  
  
**********  
  
"THANK YOU, GOD!!!" John shouted to the open road, an exuberance of happiness bubbling through his body, pumping a fist into the air. "Revenge is so sweet..." He looked over at Amara and grinned. "I don't think there could have been a better ending to this evening than that."  
  
She merely smiled back at him.  
  
_Justice has been served._  
  
For all the day's events, from shopping, to fighting, to the waiting, to the horrible beginning of the date, and the talking, that was the icing on the cake.  
  
_And I like icing._  
  
**********  
  
"I had a really nice time," Amara told John, the two standing outside the front door of the mansion.  
  
"I did, too," he said, unsure of what to do next.  
  
_Isn't this the part where I kiss her? After what happened, am I still supposed to kiss her? Oh, what the hell._  
  
John cupped her chin and gently tilted her face up, looking into her eyes. They made a brilliant contrast against her dark skin, and she looked beautiful in the moonlight. He pressed his lips to hers, and brought both of his hands to her cheeks, holding her firmly. She wrapped her arms around his back, and soon, they were both lost in each other.  
  
Eventually, and reluctantly, they broke apart, and murmured brief goodbyes, and Amara went inside. John couldn't help but smile, and he did a little dance on the steps. If John had been happy after getting even with Pietro, now...right now, he was feeling abso-freakin-lutely fantastic.  
  
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	27. Questions To Be Answered

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 27**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine: stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.  
Seriously Post, I think you know more of what the hell is going on in my story than I know myself. Did I mention how awesome you are? I need to bake you a cake or something.  
Hey Race Baj, you were right about the date. I would have rather seen him pair up with Rogue, but it just didn't happen this time around. But that doesn't mean it won't ever happen...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback.  
  
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John Jashback was floating on air after he finally went inside the Institute. It had been an interesting evening to say the least. But dread still welled up deep inside him.  
  
_I've got to do whatever Scott wants me to do, and now I've got to worry about that white haired guy...and probably the rest of the Brotherhood, after he tells them what happened._  
  
Putting aside thoughts of violence, John floated up the stairs and to Scott's door. The authorization for entry was granted, and he stepped inside, shocked and appalled by the sight before him.  
  
Piled in Scott's room was every male student who lived in the mansion, and all conversation ceased upon John's arrival. And then the flood of questions hit like a bullet between the eyes.  
  
"So, what happened?"  
  
"How did the date go?"  
  
"Did you kiss her?"  
  
"Did you wreck Scott's car?"  
  
"Did you wreck my car?"  
  
"Are you gonna go out again?"  
  
John shook his head and raised up his arms in self-defense.  
  
_Jesus. You'd think they were little girls in middle school, they way they're acting._  
  
"You know...it's none of your business," he said, nodding to himself. "Let's just say I got even with someone from the Brotherhood." _Heh heh, let 'em chew on that for a while._  
  
A chorus of whines and complaints and questions rang up all over again.  
  
"Awww, why won't you tell us?"  
  
"Come on! Vhy won't you tell us?"  
  
"Yeah man, we just want to know what happened, that's all."  
  
"I bet he kissed her, he just doesn't want to tell us."  
  
"Who in the Brotherhood did you get even with?"  
  
"I bet it was Lance. I'd want revenge if he beat me up."  
  
John walked over and handed Scott his keys. "The car is fine. And we'll talk in the morning about what we were supposed to discuss tonight." Then he walked over to the bed and nudged a sleeping Jamie. "Psst. Hey? Jamie? You there? Wake up, buddy. C'mon, Private. Let's get you to bed."  
  
Jamie opened his eyes and looked around groggily. "Oh hey John... You're back... How was your date?" he asked sleepily.  
  
"I'll tell you later, but now we're going to get you to bed."  
  
John hoisted up the younger mutant and helped him to his room, a parade of the others forming behind him, still asking questions. Once Jamie was in his room, he walked back to his own room, and closed and locked the door in the faces of the others, who were still inquiring about the date. John sighed and untucked his shirt and emptied his pockets, before laying down on his bed. The weird sound and smoke signaled Kurt teleporting into his room.  
  
"So, are you going to tell me vhat happened on the date?"  
  
John didn't bother to look up at him. "I'll tell you what. If you don't get out of my room now, I'll beat you over the head with my arm."  
  
"Ah, ah. Temper," Kurt said, jumping up onto the ceiling. Hanging down and looking at John, he said, "Did my advice help you out? And vhat happened with ze Brotherhood?"  
  
John sighed. "I tried to warn you." John took a hold of his left arm and pulled it off, before throwing it up at Kurt. It missed by a long shot, and fell somewhere at the foot of the bed. "Out! Now!"  
  
The blue-furred mutant stuck his tongue out at him. "C'mon Gimpy. You can tell me! Did you kiss her?"  
  
John did sit up this time, and clamped his right arm between his legs and pulled backwards, the arm cleanly off. He let the arm fall to the bed and clasped it with his feet, and tried to kick it upwards. Needless to say, it went up about an inch, before falling back onto the bed. "OUT!" John yelled.  
  
Kurt laughed down at him. "Mein gott! You really are Gimpy!" He ignored John's scowl and continued, "But you vill tell me in ze morning?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I'll tell you in the morning. NOW LET ME GO TO SLEEP!!"  
  
Kurt nodded and said, "Danke," before disappearing from John's room.  
  
Grumbling, John rolled off the bed and walked over to the door, flicking off the light switch with his teeth. He climbed back onto the bed, not bothering to grow back his arms or even take off his shoes. Besides, if he did regenerate the limbs, he'd be too hungry to sleep. And with that parting note, John Jashback, the armless mutant teenager drifted off to sleep.  
  
**********  
  
As life flooded back into John Jashback, his first impulse was to rub his eyes. But for some strange reason, he couldn't.  
  
_Oh right. No arms._  
  
He rubbed his face on the bed for a moment, and blinked rapidly. He looked out the window to see sunlight pouring in, which meant it wasn't the middle of the night.  
  
_There. That's better._  
  
John rolled over to the edge of his bed and rotated, throwing his legs off the side, and shakily standing up. Sure, he could have just made new arms and made the process go by much faster, but it was early, dammit, and he was still tired. And then came the ultimate challenge...  
  
Sitting in a crouch, John examined the door knob, wondering just how he was going to open it. He looked down at his body, but nothing other than his hands were really capable of opening it, except...  
  
Tilting his head, John opened his mouth as wide as it could go, and engulfed the handle inside his jaw. Biting down, he twisted his head painfully to the side, turn the knob with him, and pulled out.  
  
Fortunately, it only took John three or four tries to finally get the door open. When it finally was opened, he felt the need to rub his sore jaw, but he just had to suck it up.  
  
Shambling his way down the stairs, John walked into the empty dining room, save for Logan, who was sitting on the corner, reading the paper. The older mutant glanced up at John's entrance, but did a quick double-take when he realized he had no arms. Staring for a moment, Logan shrugged his shoulders and went back to the paper.   
  
_In all normal circumstances, he would have wet himself just then. But this isn't normal circumstances. Nothing can be normal in a house with two people covered in blue fur, a girl who can walk through walls, two people can read your thoughts, another controls the weather, blah, blah, blah, and the rest of the weird things people here do. I'm normal compared to the rest of them._  
  
Walking over to the refrigerator, John instinctively went to open the door and of course, nothing happened.  
  
_Ok, enough of this._  
  
"Don't be surprised if I fall," John said out loud. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, John leaned back against the counter, gritting his teeth and his eyes clenched shut, and applied the pressure within. And like a butterfly emerging from it's cocoon, two new arms sprung forth, the light from the windows reflecting off the strange film that covered them. In an odd, twisted way, it was a beautiful sight to behold. But in a normal, sane, rational way, it was a disgusting scene.   
"D'you have to do that in here, kid?" Logan growled.  
  
John ignored him and turned on the faucet by the sink, washing off his arms. He shook off the excess water and dried them off on his pants (cause that's what they're there for). And then John heard another growl. Only this growl didn't come from an angry Canadian. No, it came from his stomach.  
  
John was able to open the refrigerator this time around, and pulled out a carton of milk, and found a bowl and a box of cereal and started with that. As John sat down and began to eat, he was amazed at the stillness that existed in the mansion. There was no talking, running, training, powers, nothing. It was absolute quiet. The only noises came from Logan's paper, or the crunching of the cereal.   
  
Some minutes later, Logan spoke up again. "And here it comes..."  
  
"Huh?" John said, looking over at him.  
  
"You'll see, " he said gruffly. He picked up his newspaper and left the dining room.  
  
John just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
_I wonder what that was about._  
  
And as if someone up above heard his thoughts, they were quickly answered.  
  
Kurt appeared in a cloud of smoke, and sat down next to John. "So, mein freund, do you vant to tell me vhat happened on ze date?"  
  
"Can't now, eating," John said, staring down at his bowl.  
  
"Mmmm, good idea." He hopped up and went foraging.  
  
"Hey, hey!" Evan announced, stepping into the room. He pulled a glass out of the cabinet and sat across from John, filling his glass with from the milk carton John had. He took a long drink and pointed at John. "I heard you and Amara were outside 'saying goodbye' for a loooong time last night."  
  
John looked up at him with a blank stare, and refilled his bowl with cereal and milk. "Can't talk now, eating."  
  
"Hey, has anyone seen John?" a voice called out from the hallway outside. Scott poked his head into the dining room. "John? You in here? Oh, there you are." He stepped inside and confronted the younger mutant. "You didn't fill up my car with gas last night."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry," John said. "I had a lot on my mind last night."  
  
"But he von't tell us vhat happened," Kurt said, his head buried inside the refrigerator, his tail twitching idly in the air.  
  
"I heard he was making out outside," Evan commented.  
  
John looked up at Scott and said, "Listen, I didn't gas up your car because I was too excited about getting even with Pietro for what he did to me yesterday morning."  
  
Evan's ears perked up at the mention of his rival. "What about that jerk, Maximoff?"  
  
John shook his head. "Sorry, I've said enough for now. Can't talk, eating. I'll give you gas money later, Scott," he added.  
  
And then as one, Bobby, Ray, Sam, and Roberto all came in, all asking John questions. They received the same responses as Kurt and Evan.  
  
"Man, we should have talked to the girls. I bet they'll tell us," Bobby whined.  
  
And then Jubilee and Rahne came sauntering into the room, sly grins on their faces.  
  
"We just happened to overhear you boys outside," Jubilee said. "Do you want to know what happened last night?"  
  
A chorus of "yes" rang out through the room.  
  
"Ok then..." said Rahne. "Here's what happened..."  
  
John threw his hands. "I'm gone. I don't think it's any of your business, but hey, if you want to talk about it, you'll do it without me. I've got arms to go bury." He pushed himself backwards and got up out of the chair and headed on back to his room, leaving the surprisingly silent dining room in his wake.  
  
_Jesus, if I knew all of this would happen, I wouldn't have gone on the date at all!_  
  
And then John thought about what all had happened.  
  
_Yeah ok, so I still would have gone._  
  
A goofy grin plastered across his face, John stuffed his hands into his pockets and happily walked back upstairs.  
  
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Just so you know, I tried opening a door with my mouth, and while it did take quite some time and a whole lot of cussing, it can happen.  



	28. A Kiss and More Questions To Be Answered

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 28**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews. Oh, and when I said I opened my door with my mouth, I forgot to mention one thing -- how much it hurt. You see, sometimes the left side of my jaw will lock up (if I apply too much pressure to it), meaning that I can't open my mouth all the way. So fitting the door knob into a mouth that won't open all the way...it was **very** painful. But I do what I must for you all. I hope you appreciate it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback.  
  
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John whistled a merry little tune as he walked up the stairs to his room. His stomach growled, adding it's demands for sacrifices to the cacophony John was already making. Two bowls of cereal was definitely not enough to charge him back up, not after regenerating both arms at once. But none of that mattered, because he was happy. He got his revenge on Pietro, he kissed Amara, and he didn't have any wierd dreams of dying or women he couldn't see.  
  
_The woman in the dream said to look into my heart to know who she was. I didn't have the dream last night, so maybe it was Amara that I was dreaming about._  
  
John pursed his lips thoughtfully and nodded. It sounded right enough to him. John stopped on his door and put his hand on the knob, but stopped. He rubbed his chin idly and smiled to himself and went down one more door.  
  
"Come in," a voice called from inside after John knocked.  
  
He poked his head inside to see Amara sitting in front of a mirror, brushing her hair. He smiled, and made an odd waving gesture. "Just wanted to say good morning. Good morning."   
  
John pulled his head back out and shut the door, and then back into his. Whistling again, he picked up the two arms he had shed the night before. It was quite the morbid sight, John holding his arms in his...well, arms. And then he shivered. It wasn't even two days ago when the right arm wouldn't come off, and now he could so easily pull it off? John shivered again, and looked down at his right arm.  
  
_I guess it wasn't such a big deal last night because of well...last night._  
  
Getting used to both arms coming off was going to be an ordeal in itself.  
  
Throwing aside the two loose arms onto his bed, John walked over to a corner of the room, and found one an arm sitting there, the skin tone a deathly grey. He bent down to pick it up, but it crumbled to pieces in his hands. Cursing silently, he wiped off his hands on his pants and walked away from the broken limb.  
  
_Gonna have to find out where they keep the vacuum cleaner around here._  
  
Finding some clean clothes and reminding himself to wash his dirty ones, John headed off to bathroom for a much needed shower.  
  
**********  
  
"Excuse me, Professor," John said, stepping into Xavier's study. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"  
  
"Certainly, John. Please, sit down," he said, motioning to a chair. "Now, what is it you wish to ask?"  
  
"First off, where can I find a vacuum cleaner?"  
  
"Inside the closet in the kitchen."  
  
"Ok, do I get a new training uniform, since my old one kind of, you know, got ripped to pieces."  
  
"Ah yes, that." The Professor wheeled himself over to his desk and opened a drawer, and pulled out a new uniform, and handed it over to John. It was the same as his older one, except it had no sleeves at all.  
  
_Well that was thoughtful._  
  
"Thanks. Next question: when I regrow an arm, it's covered in this wierd stuff. What the heck is it?"  
  
"Hrm," he hummed, forming his hands into a steeple at his chin. "You'll have to ask Mr. McCoy about that. I'm sure he can offer a better explanation than I."  
  
John nodded. "One last question, and that's where exactly do you get the money to pay for all this?"  
  
The Professor visibly stiffened. He pulled as his shirt collar, as if it were tightening around his neck. "Ah yes, well you see..." As if he had absorbed Pietro's powers, he brought his hands up and clenched John's head by the temples in one fluid motion.  
  
John's entire body went numb, and a voice inside of him took over.  
  
_You will forget what you have said. You will not remember the last question you had asked. You will extend your thanks and leave, and never ask that question again. You will forget what you have said..._  
  
John's eyes flew open, and he rocked backwards violently. He sat gaping for a moment, his eyes wide open. Working his jaw for a moment, John rubbed his forehead and stared at the Professor.  
  
"Is there anything else you wish to ask, John?"  
  
John blinked and licked his lips. There was something he wanted to say, but...he had forgotten. "Uh..uh..no. Uh...thank you. Uh, I'll uh...go now..." Pushing himself up, he walked to the door in a daze.  
  
"John, don't forget your uniform."  
  
"Huh? Oh. Right." He turned around and grabbed the uniform, and left the room, a disconcerted look plastered on his face.  
  
**********  
  
Professor Charles Xavier breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the door closed behind John Jashback. He ran a hand across his bald head and sagged backwards into his wheelchair.  
  
"That was much too close for comfort," he spoke out loud.  
  
But he had rectified the situation, and such an issue would never come up again. And on the off chance that it did, he was confident he could easily dispense with any predicaments that arose.  
  
**********  
  
John stumbled out of the Professor's study, rubbing his forehead.  
  
_I need some aspirin._  
  
Busy trying to ease the throbbing in his head, John didn't notice Jean as he turned the corner, and the two hit each other.  
  
John looked around for a moment, his vision blurred, trying to regain his senses.   
  
"Are you ok, John?" Jean asked.  
  
John squinted and looked over at the redhead and nodded. "Yeah, uh, I just have a headache, and uh, well, you know..." he said, trailing off.  
  
"That's alright," she said, her voice full of delight.  
  
_Christ, she not only looks beautiful, but talks beautiful._  
  
"So I heard your date with Amara last night went well..."  
  
John rolled his eyes. "Is there **anyone** in this place who doesn't have something to say about that?"  
  
"Well, I will admit that some of the others have been going overboard, but I think everyone is just interested in what happened, since you're new," Jean said, laughing.  
  
John sort of shrugged and nodded. "I suppose you've got a point there. Well, if they want to know what happened..." John grinned evilly, an excellent idea formulating in his brain.  
  
"Well, I'll see you around," Jean said, turning to walk past him.  
  
"Jean, wait. Do you mind if I ask you a quick question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Well, you know how everyone has their own special codenames they go by when in the Danger Room and stuff? Well...how come you don't have one?"  
  
Jean visibly stiffened. She looked around nervously and said, "Ah, well you see..." As if she had Pietro's powers, her hands darted out and grabbed John by his temples, and a voice spoke to him inside of his head.  
  
_You will forget what you have said. You will not remember the question you had asked. You will extend your thanks and leave, and never ask that question again. You will forget what you have said..._  
  
John's eyes flew open, and he stumbled backwards violently. He stood gaping for a moment, his pupils dilated. Working his jaw for a moment, John rubbed his forehead and stared at the redhead.  
  
"Is that all John?" Jean asked.  
  
John blinked and licked his lips. There was something he wanted to say, but...he had forgotten. "Uh..uh..no. Uh...thank you. Uh, I'll uh...go now..." He turned around and continued walking down the hallway, an uneasy look plastered on his face.  
  
**********  
  
Jean Grey breathed a heavy sigh of relief as John Jashback turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She ran a hand through her long, red hair and sagged backwards into the wall.  
  
"That was much too close for comfort," she spoke out loud.  
  
But she had wiped the question from John's mind, and such an issue would never come up again. And on the off chance that it did, she was confident that she could easily solve the problem.  
  
**********  
  
John stumbled down the hallway, massaging his temples as he walked.  
  
_Man, now I really need some aspirin._  
  
And somehow, John found himself at the head of the stairs, facing down at the mansion foyer. Below him, most of the other students were talking below, but all conversation stopped and all eyes turned to face John.  
  
~Heh heh. They want to know what happened on the date? I'll give them what they want...~  
  
"You wanted to know what happened last night?" John said loudly. "Fine, you'll get your answer."  
  
All eyes followed his every move as he walked down the stairs and over to the sofa, where Amara was sitting with Kitty and Jubilee. He reached out and gently took her hand, pulling her up to him. Every jaw in the room hit the floor and every pair of eyes bugged out of their sockets at what happened next. John wrapped his arms around Amara and dipped her down as if they were dancing, and he kissed her passionately. Some time in the middle of the long kiss, John opened up an eye and looked around the room, satisfied with the expression on the face of everyone there. He finally broke the kiss and pulled himself and Amara back up, and delicately set her back down on the sofa. Her face would have made the brightest red blush, and John added to it by bowing and smiling at her. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was about ready to burst flames, literally. He pivoted around on his heels and walked off in the direction of the kitchen, whistling a merry tune to himself as he let his stomach lead him away.  
  
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The bit with the Professor saying "Whew, that was a close one", or whatever it was he said, when John asked about the money...it doesn't have a hidden meaning. It's just meant to be funny. The same with the scene involving Jean (hey, that rhymes...sort of). I'm sorry. Forgive me, please.  



	29. Getting The Facts Straights

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 29**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback.  
  
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"They had it coming. That's all I'll say. Cause I still think it's my business and her business, and I don't care how new I am, or how curious they are, they don't need to know. But since they wanted to know so badly, I gave them what they wanted."  
  
Across the table, Jamie Madrox nodded absently, flipping through the channels on the TV.  
  
John nodded back, and crammed a slice of bread into his mouth. On the inside, he was grinning like a fool, but with good reason too. He hadn't intended to get Amara caught up into the whole thing, but maybe now the others wouldn't be so inquiring. They must not be anymore, since only Jamie broke off from them and followed John.   
  
_So hopefully I've fed the beast enough for it to stay calm._  
  
"Hey John, you think we can talk now?" Scott asked, walking into the room.  
  
"Oh, sure. Sit down," John said around a mouthful of food, motioning at the table.  
  
"Alone?" he asked, nodding at Jamie.  
  
John grabbed the younger mutant by the shoulder. "Private Jamie, you up to performing some guard duty?"  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Make sure no one comes in."  
  
"Oh, ok. Cool." He turned off to the television and stood up, and started to leave the room.  
  
"Yeah, but one of you isn't enough. So you know what we have to do, right?"  
  
Jamie nodded.  
  
John pushed him to the doorway. "I'm sorry, buddy," he said, and pushed him backwards, the younger boy hitting the opposite wall. Upon impact, four Multiples popped out, all rubbing their backs.  
  
"You guys ok?" John asked.  
  
All five flashed John a thumbs up.  
  
"Ok, remember: no one comes in, unless you know, it's an adult or something," John reminded him, and then closed the door. Seated back at the table, John asked, "So uh...what's up?"  
  
"You agreed to do anything I asked when I loaned you the car. Well, it's time I tell you what you're going to do..." And Scott explained to him in great detail what it was that he would do.  
  
When he had finished, John looked at him for a moment with a confused look. "You have to be kidding. Why do you want me to do this? I don't see why you can't do it yourself."  
  
Scott stuck a finger under John's nose and wagged it. "You promised. So do it, or...well, you don't want to know what I can do to you."  
  
John was taken aback by Scott's very blunt and very open threat.  
  
_Damn, he must be really serious about this._  
  
John sighed. "Fine. But I won't get into any serious trouble for this...will I?"   
  
"Hmm no, I don't think so."  
  
"I hope not," John said as he got up out of his chair and left the room, wondering all the while just how he was going to do what Scott wanted done.  
  
**********  
  
John and all five Jamies stepped back into the mansion foyer. It was still very much full as it was only minutes before. And it only got more crowded when they stepped in. And the conversation hushed and all eyes went to John.  
  
As hard he tried not to, he grinned. Ignoring the others, he walked over to the sofa, where Amara was still sitting.  
  
"Can I talk with you outside?" he asked.  
  
Next to Amara, Kitty and Jubilee's eyes widened. Amara looked around for a moment, a mixture of confusion and excitement on her face.  
  
"Uh...ok."  
  
Opening the front door for her, the two stepped outside, while everyone inside surged forward, pressing their faces up to the windows, peering outside. John managed to stifle the urge to laugh at that.  
  
"So uh, what did you want to talk about?" Amara asked timidly, blushing slightly.  
  
"Earlier...when I went out and y'know...kissed you in front of everyone...I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that," John said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, it's just that everyone was asking what happened, and I wouldn't tell them, cause I don't think it's really their business unless we want to tell them, even if they're curious or because they think we're good together, which I don't understand since I've only been here five days, and uh, because I'm the new guy, and uh... And well, since everyone stopped everything when I showed up earlier, I guess I wanted to give 'em something to talk about. Do you uh, understand what I'm trying to say?"  
  
Amara nodded. "The others...they were asking me, too. I told the other girls, and asked them to not tell anybody. They didn't, as far as I know of."  
  
_Hrm. I guess they were just saying that stuff in the dining room earlier to mess with me or the other guys._  
  
John nodded. "Well uh, thanks, I guess."  
  
"And as for what you did earlier in there," Amara said, smiling devilishly, "Well...I don't know what to say about that. It was...unexpected. And when you left, everybody was really interested to ask what it was about, and jumped to conclusions."  
  
"Ah, is uh, 'unexpected' a good thing?"  
  
"Maybe," Amara said, smiling devilishly.  
  
John beamed brightly, and inside, was full of relief. He took a gamble with what he did, but luckily, it paid off. Pointing at the others looking through the window, he said, "So, what about them? We could do something to mess with them..."  
  
Amara shook her head. "Not this time. Maybe later."  
  
John shrugged his shoulders. "Ok, fine by me. Well uh...see you around, I guess, and uh, thanks for not being mad."  
  
Right about the time Amara and John had gone back inside, Scott had appeared from somewhere, presumably from his room as he was wearing his uniform, and announced that it was time for, in his own words, "some good ol' fashioned target practice."  
  
Amidst the shuffling of the other students to change, John walked up to Scott and asked, "So uh...am I supposed to do this target practice stuff, too?"  
  
The older mutant shook his head. "No, you'll be doing something else." He pointed upstairs. "Go talk to Rogue. I think you'll be doing physical training with her and Logan."  
  
_Physical training with Rogue and Logan._  
  
That seemed like a double-edged sword to John. On one hand, he got to work out with Rogue, even if he couldn't sort out his exact feelings for her. Did he like her just as a friend? Or did he want something more? John shook his head. There could be nothing more with her. It wasn't possible.   
  
_I'm with Amara, for one thing. I think. And besides, I can't touch Rogue. Can't build much with that sort of limitation._  
  
And then of course, it was physical training with Logan. If he ran things like the two Danger Room sessions John had been in...it would be an experience to remember.  
  
John walked up the stairs and stopped at the door that he thought he remembered as Rogue's room. He knocked on the door but was sent reeling backwards as Kitty's head **literally** poked out of it.  
  
"Holy crap," was all John could say. Back against the wall and eyes wide, John clutched both hands over his heart to try and keep it from jumping out of his chest.  
  
"Oh. Oops, sorry," Kitty said, before coming out of the room all the way. She was wearing her uniform, and up close, John could see how it was very form-fitting to her body.  
  
_Wow._  
  
"So like what did you want?"  
  
Pushing dirty thoughts out of his head, John said, "Oh uh, is uh, Rogue in there?"  
  
"Oh, she's just in the bathroom," she said, tossing her head in to motion her location, her ponytail bobbing in the air. "Well, gotta go! See ya, Hot Lips." Waving, she sunk down into the floor and out of sight.  
  
"Hot Lips?"  
  
"That's what all the girls are callin' yah after what happened downstairs," said a voice from behind.  
  
John turned around to see Rogue, a wry little smile on her face.  
  
"Oh...uh...that. Uh...you saw that?"  
  
"No, but I heard what ya did," she said, tracing a gloved finger along his chin and grinning as she walked past and opened her door.  
  
"Oh uh...yeah...uh...heh..." Stepping into her doorway, he quickly changed the subject. "So uh, Scott said we have to do some different training from everyone else. With Logan."  
  
"You got that right, kid," the all-too-familiar gruff voice said behind him. "You and Stripes get changed and head down to the exercise room." Logan then turned and walked down the stairs and out of sight.  
  
Pointing at his retreating back, John said, "Is he always like that?"  
  
"Always," Rogue replied.  
  
"What are we uh, supposed to change into?"  
  
"Put on some sweat pants or something lahke that."  
  
"Oh uh, ok then."  
  
"Good. And now Ah have to change..." she said, closing the door in his face.  
  
Staring at the wood for a moment, John blinked and looked around. "Can you uh, take me down there with you? I uh, don't know the way."  
  
Inside the room, Rogue laughed.  
  
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Ooooooh. What does Scott want John to do? I bet the suspense of not knowing is killing you. No? Ok then. I didn't mean Scott to come off as kind of brutal and out of character, if he seemed to to the rest of you, but I think it stresses the importance of what he wants done.  



	30. Friends and Family

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 30**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews. And yes, Son of Logan and Ororo, I'm a big fan of Tesla. Chapter 27's name is from an Iron Maiden song, and of course, the story title is from a Jimi Hendrix song. And who knows what others I'll toss in.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I just own John Jashback and all arms he loses.  
  
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John stood off to the side in the exercise room, watching Rogue and Logan spar in the middle. They were kicking, punching, flipping, dodging, jumping, and doing all other sorts of kung-fuish moves. Rogue was holding her own pretty well against Logan, though John guessed that he was holding back. Logan was wearing some weird orange and black suit that John honestly made him look more fearsome. He couldn't explain it, but it made the man all the more intimidating.  
  
Rogue flipped backwards two or three times to evade a kick from Logan, and she quickly recovered and kicked at him herself. Logan was poised and ready for it, and he grabbed her leg and flipped her over, and Rogue hit the floor mat hard. She groaned and didn't bother to get back up. John didn't blame her. The two of them had been going at it for a good while.  
  
Pulling up the girl, Logan said in his usual gruff voice, "Remember Stripes, don't leave yourself open for an attack like that. I could have done worse to ya, and you know it."  
  
Rogue nodded. "Sorry. Ah'm just a little tired, that's all."  
  
"Were you watching all that, kid?" Logan barked at John.  
  
Unconsciously stiffening to attention, John swallowed hard and said, "Uh, yes sir. I uh, was, sir." He paused a moment and continued. "Am I uh, going to have to do that now?"  
  
Logan shook his head. "Not today, kid. Maybe in a couple of days, I'll let you and Rogue go at it so we can see just where exactly you need work."  
  
John sighed.  
  
_Oh joy. That'll be fun._  
  
"In the meantime," Logan said, pointing at all of the various gym equipment in the room, "Find yerself something and get to it."  
  
Nodding, John walked over to an exercise bike, and started it up. There was nothing wrong with starting off slow, getting himself warmed up and stretched out. And besides, there was no point in lifting weights. What was the point of building muscles in the arms if they'll just fall off and get replaced with new ones? John slanted his mouth in thought.   
  
_I'll have to ask Mr. McCoy about that later. I certainly hope that isn't true -- working my ass off only to have it all go down the tubes because my arms fell off._  
  
Looking down at his legs, John silently prayed that they wouldn't start falling off. Arms were one thing, but legs were a whole new ballgame. Glancing back up, John noticed that Logan had left the room, and Rogue was in a corner, busy beating the tar out of a punching bag.  
  
_She hitting that thing hard enough?_  
  
"You know, you don't have to worry about that thing hitting back, right?"  
  
Either Rogue didn't hear him, or she ignored him. But she never let up on the punching and kicking.  
  
_Christ. Glad that isn't me._  
  
John jumped off the bike and walked over to a rack of barbells, and pulled off a large weight. Laying down on his back, he put it on his chest and started doing sit-ups. John did that until he was too tired to move, and rolled the weight off his chest, and spread out on the floor, groaning softly.  
  
"You tired ahlready?"  
  
John opened his eyes and looked up at Rogue. "Yup."  
  
_Oh yes. That was a hell of an answer. Good lookin' girl makes a comment and you get all retarded. You're an idiot, John._  
  
She shook her head and walked away from him. Pushing himself up on his elbows and blocking out his negative voice in his head, John said, "C'mon. I've only been here...five days. Besides, my chest is killing me. And my back."   
With an eyebrow up in the air, Rogue gave him a disbelieving look.  
  
"Ok, so I'm weak. You think I did all this at home?"  
  
"If yah're so weak, then how could yah have gotten even with Pietro?"  
  
John looked around for a moment, making sure no one else was in the room. "That was nothing but pure dumb luck. I got the jump on him, which was why I came out unbeaten. Otherwise, you'd be talking to me, only I'd black and blue. Or I'd be back at home."  
  
Rogue pursed her lips together and laughed. "At least yah're honest." She extended a hand and helped pull John onto his feet. "Come on. Ah don't think Logan'll mind if we leave early."  
  
"We don't have to do anymore training today, do we?"  
  
Rogue shook her head.  
  
"Good, cause I'm tired," John said.  
  
"From that little bit of workin' out yah did?" She smiled slyly. "Or did yah wear yahself out kissin' Amara, huh Hot Lips?"  
  
"Ha ha. Funny. Forgive me if I don't fall to pieces laughing." John thought on that for a moment, but his laughter this time was genuine. "It could probably happen, too. And like I said, I'm not used to this stuff."  
  
John knew he was whining. But it was better than admitting that she could kick his ass ten times from Tuesday. And that's if she didn't use hers powers. But then again, she wouldn't exactly benefit from absorbing John's powers.  
  
John stumbled a moment, giggling like a schoolgirl. The image of Rogue with no arms...priceless. It would almost be worth seeing.  
  
"What's so funny?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Nothing..." John said. He looked over at Rogue, but the image flashed in his mind again, and he continued laughing like a fool.  
  
"What?! Tell me wha's so funny!"  
  
John shook his head. "It's n...nothing." But he didn't stop laughing.  
  
"Men," Rogue said, her voice full of mock disgust. She tossed her head, her white stripes flailing about. She looked at John, who was **still** laughing, and pushed him hard into the wall.  
  
John slumped down onto his knees, but it did nothing to shut him up. In fact, it only made things worse.  
  
Rogue looked at John like he were totally insane and continued walking down the hall without him.  
  
**********  
  
For the second time that day, John Jashback took a shower. Afterwards, he went down to the kitchen and got the vacuum cleaner, and cleaned up the decaying arms in his room. He put a load of laundry into the wash and got a bite to eat. And somehow, he found himself sitting at the his desk, staring down at the letter he had written two nights before. As he read over it, he realized it would make his parents worry more than anything. He crumpled up the paper and left it sitting on the desk.  
  
_Maybe I should let them know how I'm doing. It couldn't hurt._  
  
John headed back down to the kitchen and put his wet clothes into the dryer, found a phone, and called home. He punched in his phone number, heard three rings, and then a voice.  
  
"Hello?" said a female voice on the other end.  
  
"Mom? Hey, how are you doing? It's me, John."  
  
"John? Oh, it's good to hear from you. I was staring to worry. Honey," John's mother called out, not directed at her son. "Pick up the phone! It's John!"  
  
John heard a fumbling noise and then a male voice on the other end. "John?"  
  
"Hey dad, how's it going?"  
  
"Great. We're doing great. How are you doing there?"  
  
John paused for a moment. "Everything is fine. Nothing big has happened, or anything," he lied.  
  
"John," his mother said, "You were always a terrible liar."  
  
Laughing, John said, "Well, ok. Everything here is fine...in fact, it's great. Have I got some stuff to tell you... First off, everyone here is really nice, and really cool too. But I'd say I'm the most normal guy here."  
  
John was met with silence from the other end.  
  
"Heh. Yeah, me, normal. This from the guy who's arms fall off."  
  
Someone coughed loudly into the receiver. "A...arms?" his father choked out.  
  
_Oh crap._  
  
"Yeah, uh, that. Uh, well, I woke up one morning and it was like that."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine," he lied again, hoping they'd believe him this time.  
  
"Wow...both arms..." he father murmured.  
  
"What makes you so normal compared to the others?" his mother interjected.  
  
"Oh man. You wouldn't believe me. We got two people here who are blue and furry, a guy that shoots laser beams from his eyes, two people that can read minds, a girl who walks through walls, another who makes fire, a boy who makes ice, a woman who controls the weather..." John made himself stop. He was worried that if he spoke any more, they'd want to bring him home. Before he could say anything, he spoke again. "There are a few others, but they're all really nice people."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Mom? Dad? You guys still there?"  
  
"You're kidding me, right?" his father asked.  
  
"I wish."  
  
Silence.  
  
"But they're all really nice people," John said, trying to smooth any ruffled feathers.  
  
_Crap, think fast John. Think fast._  
  
"You wouldn't believe all the pretty girls that are here..."  
  
His father laughed. "Is that so? You got yourself a girlfriend then, huh?"  
  
"Honey!" his mother said indignantly.  
  
"Well, actually..."  
  
His father laughed even louder.  
  
"How do you already have a girlfriend?" his mother asked.  
  
John's first impulse was to say something witty. _Cause I'm just good like that._ But he decided not to make any more of an idiot out of himself.  
  
"I'm still trying to figure that one out myself," he finally said.  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Amara."  
  
"Is she a nice girl?" his mom asked.  
  
John rolled his eyes. "Yes, she is. I think you'd like her."  
  
"And uh...what's her uh...'power'?"  
  
"She's the one who makes fire."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"And how's school, honey?"  
  
"Boring. Stupid. Just like it was back home."  
  
His parents laughed.  
  
"I think it's safe to say you're making friends? You did say they were nice people. Unless you're lying to us..."  
  
"No no no... I am. Everyone here **is** nice. And I am making friends. There's a kid here, Jamie. He's younger than me. He's kind of become the little brother I never had. He multiplies into copies of himself. I think he really likes me because the others tease him and pick on him, since he's the youngest here. And there's Kurt. He's from Germany, and he's one of the furry blue guys. I think he eats more than I do."  
  
"Well...they...certainly sound like nice boys," his mother said slowly.  
  
"Uh...yeah. They uh, sure do, son," his father murmured.  
  
"Don't sound so worried. I'll get some pictures of everyone and send them to you." A buzzing in the back caught John's attention. "Well, there's my laundry. I'll uh, call you guys later, ok?"  
  
"Uh...sure. Uh. Well, call back soon, ok? We love you," his father said.  
  
"Yes. Call us soon, sweetie. Remember, we do love you," his mother said.  
  
"Ok, ok. I'll be sure to call back soon. Maybe tomorrow, after school or something. I love you guys. Bye."  
  
John hung the phone back onto the receiver and stared at it for a moment.  
  
"That went well," he said aloud. "I think..." John rubbed his chin for a moment. "Maybe I should have sent the letter instead..."  
  
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Writing in accents is annoying sometimes. I don't know why I bother to sometimes. I mean, you know what the people talk like...oh well, I do it anyway. 


	31. Take Off Your Pants And Don't Think Too ...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 31**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.  
I feel bad for I didn't maintain my 'post a chapter a day' bit. In fact, this would have been the chapter posted on Friday, but Friday was a sucky day, Saturday was a sucky day, Sunday and Monday weren't so sucky, but I had little to no creative juices, so it took quite some time to write this. Real life issues have come up, so I won't be able to update this story as often as I'd like to, but I won't stop updating altogether. I (and you all, I guess) have put too much into this for me to kill it all of a sudden.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything in it. Marvel and Kid's WB do. I could say that I own my original character, but I don't really. There's no copyrights or patents or trademarks that prove I technically own him. But he's so stupid, no one would want to steal him. So my plan is foolproof.  
Oh, and don't read this if you don't like foul language, or if the word 'fuck' makes your head explode. Don't say I didn't warn you...  
  
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"Come on, Goliath! Let's go pick some apples," a small boy's voice cried out.  
  
"Duh...okay, Davey," replied a low, slurring, uneducated-sounding voice.  
  
_Remind me again why I'm watching this crap? Oh that's right. Because my damn arms fall off._  
  
Alright, so it wasn't a viable excuse for John to watch this stupid religious claymation show. But for reasons unknown, he was watching in. It was a dumb religious show about a boy, Davey, and his dog that only he can talk to, Goliath.  
  
Back on the screen, the little boy was climbing a ladder, and picking apples and throwing them into a bucket. From nowhere, another boy and a girl began picking apples too. Soon, the girl was gushing over an apple she found.  
  
"Look Davey. I found this big apple." The little clay girl help up a freakishly large and oblong clay apple.  
  
"Well garsh," exclaimed the other random boy, who's voice and appearance screamed 'Inbred Jed.' "That there's the biggest gol'darned apple I ever did see in all the days that I been borned."   
"And it's all mine!" the girl squealed.  
  
"No! You have to share!" crooned Davey.  
  
"Duh...yeah. Share," Goliath slurred.  
  
"I want me some of that there apple, too," said the other random boy. "This here's my paw's apple orchard, so that be my apple."  
  
"Fine," the girl whined. "I'll share it."  
  
"Oh boy!" Davey jumped down from the tree and pulled a knife out from somewhere, and cut the freakishly large apple into three pieces.  
  
"Duh...don't forget about me, Davey," reminded Goliath.  
  
"Oh, sorry Goliath." The little claymation boy cut the claymation apple with his claymation knife and gave it to his claymation dog.  
  
"Duh...I'm a stupid clay dog..." John slurred in imitation of the...well, stupid clay dog.  
  
_I'm pathetic. I'm watching a stupid claymation show and imitating the dialogue. And that whole 'arms fall off' thing._  
  
John looked down at his legs and stared for a moment.  
  
_Aw hell, those better not start falling off, too..._  
  
And then his eyes drifted to the area in between his legs.  
  
_If that starts to fall off...well, if it falls off, I'll say fuck it all, and be on my merry way._  
  
John bent his head down and spoke quietly to his member. "Psst. Please, whatever happens, don't start falling off. I'll do anything you want, just don't fall off..."  
  
"Am I interrupting anything?"  
  
_Oh shit._  
  
John slowly and cautiously rose his head up and turned around. Mr. McCoy was standing (or slouching? Well, whatever way that he stands) behind John, looking at him as if he wasn't sure if he should be shocked or amused.  
  
"Er uh... It uh...isn't what you think..." John's eyes darted across the room, looking for a means of escape. But then again, Mr. McCoy could probably catch him before he got five feet away.  
  
"I'm sure it isn't," the blue furred man said, smirking. "The Professor informed me of your desire to learn just what it is that covers your limbs upon regeneration. And if you'll come with me, we shall find that out."   
"Uh, sure. Ok." John turned off the tv and stood up, and followed the older mutant to wherever it was they were going.  
  
**********  
  
Hank McCoy deftly held the small pair of tweezers in his large hands, and peeled a flake of the substance that covered John's newly regenerated left arm. He was very much into the science bit, wearing glasses and a white lab coat. John, in the meanwhile, stared at his extra arm, watching it flip back and forth at the elbow, mesmerized, acting as if it were the greatest thing he had ever seen in his life. Even better than that world's largest ball of twine he had seen somewhere in Montana. The two were in a laboratory, somewhere deep in the under-belly of the Institute. John had no clue where they were exactly.  
  
_But then again, I can't even find my own room._  
  
Hank dropped the flake into a vial of liquid, and took another piece of off John's arm, placing it into another vial. Two more pieces went like that, and a third was put on a slide and underneath a microscope.  
  
"So uh, how long is this going to take?" John asked.   
"Hrm. Not that long..." Mr. McCoy murmured, peering down into the microscope. He scribbled something onto a sheet of paper, and examined each of the test tubes carefully, scribbling down notes periodically.   
John had no bloody idea what was going on.   
_Well, whatever floats his boat._  
  
"So interesting..." the blue-furred mutant hummed. "This substance is a strict composition of carbon, sodium dytrosate, and magnesium. There's not a trace of any other elements."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Mr. McCoy took off his glasses and sighed. "Frankly, I've never come across such a thing in all my years of research. It is obviously harmless, else your body would have succumed to some sort of virul infection by now. I cannot ascertain what exactly it is now, John. Let me take a few more samples from your arm, and then I will perform more in-depth experiments on them."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"In a few days, I'll be able to tell you."  
  
"Oh, uh. Ok. Can I ask you another question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Ok, uh, well, let's say I work out a whole bunch, and I get some good exercise with my arms. And then my arms come off. What happens then? Was it all for nothing?"  
  
"Well, beginning with tomorrow, we'll begin taking measurements, and when we have enough data compiled, we'll know for sure."  
  
"Uh. Ok, then," John said.  
  
_Sounds good enough to me._  
  
Tweezers in hand again, Hank McCoy pulled more flakes from John's arm, before waving him out of the laboratory.  
  
"Uh, how do I get out of here?" John asked.  
  
"Down the hall and take a right to the elevator. Just go to the first floor, and you'll find your way back," the older mutant replied, absent-mindly.  
  
John look at the older arm he was holding and placed it on the table before leaving the room.  
  
_Maybe he'll need it for something._  
  
**********  
  
After a few minutes and a few wrong turns, John was back in his room, staring out the window. And it was only 4:30. On a Sunday.  
  
_Sunday's suck._  
  
Sunday. Sunday is a bittersweet kind of day. It's the second day of the weekend but the day before you had to go back to school.  
  
_I worry too much. I thought I said I'd stop worrying so damn much. That sure lasted long..._  
  
"I wonder how badly Pietro's gonna kick my ass tomorrow," John mused. The first thing he thought when he asked himself that question was: _I'm screwed._  
  
_How the hell did I end up in this? Oh, that's right. Foolish pride._  
  
"I can always fake sick. Or watch my back." _Like that'll work?_ "Or I can quit whining and suck it up. I'll let him kick my ass, and then I'll ignore him." _It's a little too late for that now, moron._  
  
"Stupid sarcastic conscience."  
  
"Do yah ahlways talk to yahself this much?"  
  
John spun around, spotted the familiar Gothic mutant resident of the mansion, and murmured, "I thought I closed that door..."  
  
"What?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Nothing. And yes, I always talk to myself this much. I've got issues."  
  
"Really? Who woulda thought?"  
  
"Oh ho. Busting out the sarcasm, are we?" John grinned. "Well, since this is question time, how about I ask you a question. Why do always wear pants?"  
  
_Making an ass of myself always takes my mind off my troubles. Like drugs, only this is free._  
  
"What?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Pants. Don't you ever get tired of pants?" John pulled off his pants and threw them on the bed. "See, no pants."  
  
Rogue stared wide-eyed for a moment before regaining her composure. "Ah'll just uh...leave you here..."  
  
"Come back..." John cried, following her out into the hallway.  
  
"Er uh...no thanks. Ah'll just go now..."  
  
"Aw, what's the matter? You've seen me in less clothing than this, when I wasn't intentionally making an ass of myself."  
  
"Yah, but then you weren't so..."  
  
"Forward about it?" John said, finishing her statement.  
  
"Uh...Ah hafta go now..." Rogue said quickly.  
  
And she slowly backed away from John, who wore a stupid grin, waved as she disappeared from sight.  
  
_Yeah, so what if I like her. I like the rest of the girls here. It's not my fault. I'm allowed to have some fun, once in a while._  
  
**********  
  
_Is it possible for me to have a normal day?_  
  
_Sure...just not here._  
  
John stared out of his bedroom window, looking up at the night sky. That was one thing he had to admit: the nights in Bayville were beautiful. It seemed to get dark so quickly, but John reminded himself that he was still on the time from home.  
  
_Home._  
  
_Is this my home? It might be. Or it could be some twisted form of summer camp. I don't know why I'm even here. I don't _need to be here. I could have gotten along fine at home, and only one of my arms would be coming off. And I wouldn't be dealing with all of this shit I've gotten myself into.  
  
_I shouldn't brood so much. It's unhealthy._  
  
_But it still doesn't answer my question. Why am I here? I don't need to get my powers under control. Hell, they came about by accident. Why do I bother to train? Why do I bother to do anything? I should have thought some of this over before I came._  
  
_It's not like I've got any real problems. So my arm falls off. Big deal. It's no reason for me to be here. Hell, there's no reason for any of us to be here. Except Rogue and Jamie. And Kurt and Scott. The rest of us are normal enough to be at home. Heh. Normal? Maybe not normal. The rest of us have enough control to not need to be here. Christ, I'm starting to babble now. I've got to get out more. Or get a psychiatrist. Or sleep. Maybe I just need sleep._  
  
John slipped out of his clothes and climbed into his bed. It wasn't even seven yet, but he was still going to sleep.  
  
_Better than thinking too much... Wouldn't want that to happen._ Or so he told himself, a wry grin on his face.  
  
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Heh, sorry if that was a giant, jumbled mess. Like I said up at the top, it's been a crazy last few days, and frankly, the creative juices to keep this story going are running dry. I seriously need to start working soon. Maybe being away from the computer and doing something else will actually get me thinking again. It's worth a shot, dammit. 


	32. The Dangers Of Falling Limbs And Male Ho...

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 32**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.  
Woo hoo! 200 Reviews! Thanks everyone, for sticking with this story, it really means a lot to me (especially since this is the first piece of fan fiction I've ever written). And thanks again Post. Your in-depth reviews are very helpful to me.  
Oh, and the retarded claymation show John was watching at the beginning of the previous chapter...I watch that crap when I wake up before Evolution comes on (it's on a local station). It's either that, or I can watch 'Kirby' on Fox or 'Recess' on ABC. I'll take claymation over Kirby and Disney cartoons. Nothing personal.  
  
Disclaimer: Same stuff, worded differently. I don't own X-Men: Evolution. It probably owns me. I only own my original character, John Jashback.  
  
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"Unforgivable. Damn that monster turtle. I'll destroy it with Bird Missiles."  
  
_Or I can keep randomly saying things out loud. I'm just glad I don't share this room._  
  
It was the middle of the night, and John was restlessly tossing and turning in bed, his futile attempts at falling back to sleep failing miserably.  
  
_That's what you get for going to sleep so early._  
  
_Yeah? Well, kiss off, conscience. I don't need a damn cricket telling me that the bare neccessities of life will come to me and to give a little whistle._  
  
John buried his face into his pillow, wishing he had a CD player. Music did wonders at taking one's mind off...well, anything. Did a dog bite you in the ass, or did you just lose your job? Having trouble paying rent, or wake up to find an eye in the middle of your forehead? Nothing some good tunes can't fix up...temporarily, at least. Sort of like drugs and alcohol, only cheaper.  
  
**********  
  
_I wonder what it'd be like if my eyes fell out. I could juggle them, or something. Without my eyes. Er, juggle my eyes when I can't see. Or something like that._  
  
**********  
  
_What if my head fell off? Would I die? Probably._  
  
**********  
  
_If I pulled off one of my arms, and cooked it, could I eat it? What would it taste like? Holy hell, I need to go to sleep._  
  
**********  
  
_John, why did you take off your pants in front of Rogue? She probably thinks you're a freak now. Wait. I am a freak. You know, that whole 'my-arms-fall-off' bit. Hehehehehehe. I'm tempted to touch her, so her arms will fall off too... But that'd be cruel._  
  
**********  
  
_Let's say I get bit in the arm by a zombie. Cause you know, in the movies, when someone gets bitten by a zombie, they eventually become a zombie. So let's say I get bitten in the arm. Couldn't I just rip my arm off and grow a new one and not have to worry about the whole thing? Badass. If a zombie-esque apocalyptic future ever comes, I'll have the edge. Hooah._  
  
**********  
  
_I hope there's no training session in the morning. I hope not. If there is, I'll skip it. I'll uh, play the uh, 'No Arms' card...Yeah. That's what I'll do. Can't very well train if I got no arms, eh? Shut up and go back to sleep._  
  
**********  
  
_Having your arms fall off sucks._  
  
John proved his point by hurling an arm across the room.  
  
**********  
  
_How the hell am I going to do what Scott wants me to do, and hope to come out of it safely? I shouldn't have borrowed the car, dammit. Next time, I'm taking the van._  
  
**********  
  
"I hereby proclaim today 'No-Pants Day!'" John mumbled.  
  
_I wonder if it'll do any good to tell Rogue that there's a method to my pants-removing madness... I doubt it. The time for that would have been earlier, WHEN YOU TOOK OFF YOUR PANTS!!!_  
John always felt good for some reason when he debated with himself in his mind.  
  
_Psst. Maybe it's a sign that you have issues._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
**********  
  
_You know what would be crazy? If I pulled off my right arm, and when I went to regrow it, a left arm came out in it's place. Heh heh. Two of the same arm...that'd be wild..._  
  
**********  
  
  
Yawning, John stretched out underneath his blanket and numbly worked his jaw muscles. The sun was just starting to poke up over the horizon. Rubbing his eyes with his one hand, John glanced over at the clock.  
  
It was almost seven.  
  
_No problem. I guess there was no session. Or I didn't have to go to one._  
  
Kicking away his cover, John idly twitched his feet, acknowledging the commands his body was giving him, wondering if anyone was in the bathroom.  
  
_You'd thing that with as many as there are here, and as big as this friggin' house is, there'd be more than two bathrooms for us to use._  
  
Staggering out from his room, John walked to the closest bathroom and knocked on the door.  
  
"Yes?" someone called from inside.  
  
"Uh yeah...nevermind..." John said, and headed down to the end of the hall for the other bathroom.  
  
It too, was occupied.  
  
_Dammit._ He almost crossed his legs as he stood. _I really gotta go...._  
  
_There has to be another bathroom around here somewhere._  
  
John walked lazily down a hallway and started sticking his head into various room, hoping one was the room he so desperately needed.  
  
_Yeah, yeah, I'm workin' on it. I'm workin' on it!_   
John realized the futility of talking to his bladder, but it didn't stop his bladder from talking to him.  
  
Opening a door, John found himself sticking his head into a bedroom. It certainly wasn't one that any of the students lived in. It was far too ornate and lavishly furnished.  
  
_Maybe it's a guest room. Or one of the instructor's rooms_  
  
And then the metaphorical light bulb came on in John's head.  
  
_Hey.... I bet they have their own bathrooms..._  
  
On the opposite wall stood a door, possibly confirming John's suspicions.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, the one-armed mutant stepped completely into the room. He was halfway across when the door in question opened.  
  
John's jaw hit the floor.  
  
Ororo Munroe strode across the room to John, a towel wrapped around her head like a turban, and not a stitch of clothing covering the rest of her body. Her dark skinned glistened with the moisture from the shower she had just enjoyed.  
  
John spun around on his heels, covering his eyes with his hand, frantically apologizing.  
  
"Oh Jesus, I didn't know anyone was...I really didn't mean to...What I meant to say was I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to come in...Er uh, I'll go now...I didn't see anything!" he finished with a shout.  
  
A hand clasped his shoulder and turned him around, but John held his hand firmly over his eyes, and his lips moved at a mile a minute, still spouting apologies.  
  
_Oh my fucking God, I didn't just see what I think I saw. She isn't naked. No...I was imagining it. And she didn't look so goddamned hot. No...I was imagining it._  
  
John felt a soft grip on his one hand and light flooded back into his vision. His eyes were open long enough to know that he was face to face with the older woman, and he quickly slammed them shut. His throat went dry, and hoarse whispers replaced his frantic apologies.  
  
"You can open your eyes, John."  
  
"Er uh, no-that's-ok-I'll-just-keep-my-eyes-shut-for-now," he shouted rapidly.  
  
"There's no need to be so tense, child," Ororo murmured, running a hand along John's cheek. As hard as he tried, he shivered. She had a very delicate touch.  
  
"Would it put you more at ease if I put something on?" she asked.  
  
"Uh yeah, maybe a little," he choked out.  
  
"Very well. You may open your eyes now," she said moments later.  
  
John slowly cracked open an eye, and looked down. Ororo had taken the towel from around her head and had wrapped it around her body. Taking a step backwards, John opened his other eye.  
  
"Er, I'm real, real, real sorry. I'll uh, just be going now..." Ever so slowly, the young man started to back away.  
  
The weather-manipulating woman didn't let him get far. In two quick strides, she was back in his face, and she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers. Her other hand traveled down south, and John had a tent pitched in no time.  
  
And as quickly as it happened, it stopped. Ororo let go of John and pushed him backwards, and scowled at him. She extended an arm and held it against his chest, and the air all around them began to crackle and spark. The last thing John Jashback remembered before the lightning sent him into the opposite wall was the evacuation of his bladder...  
  
**********  
  
John's eyes flew open, and he pushed himself up out of his bed. He gingerly felt at his chest with his one hand, but there were no burn marks and there was no pain.  
  
_My bed...wait...it was a dream..._  
  
But something was wrong. It was still wet between John's legs.  
  
_Oh Jesus Christ, please don't tell me I wet the bed..._  
  
Holding up the blanket, John looked down and gulped. Sure enough, he had made a mess of himself. Although it wasn't quite what he expected...  
  
_Oh no, don't tell me I... Oh hell. I did._  
  
John whimpered and collapsed backwards onto his pillow, and began to cry softly, wondering all the while where they kept the clean sheets.   
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They show more graphic stuff on regular TV than what was in this chapter, so I don't want to hear anyone complain about the content and the rating.  



	33. Busy Mornings

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 33**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all and thanks for the reviews.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this, except my original character, John.  
  
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John Jashback shoved his blanket and sheets down underneath is bed, no easy task with only one arm. He stepped back to survey his work.  
  
_Well...if I were someone else, I would be able to tell that there was something down there, but not know it was bedding. Until I looked at the bed and saw the lack of cover on it._  
  
Groaning, John found a clean pair of clothes and headed off to the bathroom. Sure, he had taken a shower late yesterday, but then came the dream and...  
  
_I'm _waaaay_ too oversexed to be living in a house full of attractive females._  
  
John shook his head. He also got his ass kicked in the dream, too. It had to have been a sign that the day was going to suck.  
  
Re-emerging from the bathroom, feeling much cleaner and very much dry. And the typical early morning commotion of the Institute was in full swing all around him.  
  
Kitty went running past, looking for a brush, Rogue scowled as she waited outside an apparently occupied bathroom, Kurt teleported about, creating random havoc, Jamie multiplied and crowded the hallway very much, Scott barreled through, shouting for the others to move and hurry up, and Evan tried to skateboard on carpet.  
  
_It's a freakin' nut house..._  
  
"Hey! I heard that..." Jean said from behind.  
  
John glanced at the redhead and laughed. "But I'm right," he stated.  
  
"That you are," she replied before heading off to do her own thing.  
  
John shook his head and deposited his dirty clothes under his bed and went downstairs to try and snag breakfast before the food got the bum's rush.  
  
Logan glanced up from his paper as John entered the dining room, but said nothing as usual. John poured himself a bowl of cereal and proceeded to eat quietly, reading the back of the cereal box for entertainment (and c'mon, who hasn't done that every once in a while?).  
  
Soon, Kurt teleported in, followed by Evan, and Kitty, who sank in from the ceiling. In the span of one minute, the dining room was full and, as John noticed, Logan was nowhere in sight.  
  
_I really have to get up earlier..._ John's point was reiterated when he looked at all of the people.  
  
Plopping down next to John, Kurt said, "Vhere vere you last night at dinner?"  
  
"I was tired, and fell asleep real early," John said, mentally debating if he should pour himself another bowl. His stomach cried out with a "YES!" while his ears roared out an equally resounding "NO!"  
  
"John!" Jamie shouted, sitting next to the mutant in question. "Where were you last night?"  
  
"Bermuda," he replied, pouring himself a new bowl of cereal. "Kurt teleported me there."  
  
The young boy stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before snapping back into reality. "Nu-uh! Kurt was here, eating."  
  
"Ah, but zats because I took John zere, and zhen came back fast!" Kurt chimed in.  
  
John nodded. "He's telling the truth."  
  
"Ah, don't listen ta them," Rogue said as she passed by, pausing to ruffle Jamie's hair. "Lefty was jus' sleepin'."  
  
"He's Gimpy, now!" Kurt said, correcting her.  
  
Of course, the others inquired to his whereabouts the past evening. As it turned out, many had plenty of teasing ready to unleash on John. Of course, they couldn't quite decide whether to call him 'Gimpy' or 'Hot Lips.'  
  
John let out a sigh of relief when he finally escaped the madhouse. He ran back upstairs to gather his school supplies before sprawling out on the couch in the mansion foyer.  
  
Eyes shut, John placed his arms back around his head and smiled contently. Granted, he had slept eleven hours (with random interjections of his mind's meandering), spending time with all of the students at the Institute was enough to burn him out.  
  
Besides, it helped take his mind off school. And girls. And being a mutant. And why he was here. And...  
  
_Psst idiot. You aren't taking your mind off anything right now when you think about your problems. Just uh...aw, nevermind. Who am I kiddin'?_  
  
_Weird. I didn't see Amara at breakfast. Well, maybe she's running late or something. Oh well, don't want to deal with that on top of everything else right now._  
  
_Then why the hell are you dating her, numb nuts? And why the hell did you pull that little stunt in front of everyone else? Because you'd rather not get entangled with girls right now? Because you'd rather be with someone else? Because you'd rather be at home and have your arms not be able to fall off?_  
  
_Today is going to suck._  
  
Something poked him in the forehead. He ignored it.  
  
Something poked him in the forehead again. He continued to ignore it.  
  
Then the poking came faster and harder. His mouth contorted, and he reached the threshold of his 'annoyance-ignoring' capabilities. He opened his eyes and looked up, expected to see someone poking him. What he saw was...a sock, with two ridiculous eyes colored in on the top of it.  
  
"Hello Gimpy!" it said, sounding like a demented Barney the Purple Dinosaur. "Remember me? I'm Mister Happy Happy Sock, your bestest friend in the whole wide world!"  
  
John groaned, for the umpteenth time that morning. "Please Jamie, not now."  
  
"Duh...I don't know no Jamie. I'm Mister Happy Happy Sock! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!"  
  
"If you don't stop that Jamie, I'll pull off one of your arms and see if it'll grow back," he warned, shutting his eyes and trying to block the stupid voice out of his head. "Awww, what's the matter there, Gimpy? Didya wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Hyuk hyuk!"  
  
John's body quivered in fury. It was **way** too early to be dealing with this.  
  
"You know what's nice about socks?"  
  
"What's that, Gimpy?"  
  
"THEY DON'T TALK!!" John wrenched his eyes open and clamped down on the sock puppet above him.  
  
He yanked the arm to the side, causing Jamie Madrox to careen off to the side, crashing into an arm-chair, exploding into multiples of himself.  
  
"Owww..." they whined simultaneously.  
  
Jamie pouted for a moment before his copies fused back to the main body. He shot John an angry look and took the sock off of his hand and put it back onto his foot, followed by the shoe.  
  
"Hey, don't start getting all teary on me. I warned you, didn't I?"  
  
Jamie frowned, not wanting to admit that John was right.  
  
"But ya didn't hafta throw me so hard."  
  
John sat up and pointed at the boy's feet. "If you had been wearing both shoes, I doubt you wouldn't have lost your balance and fell. You brought it onto yourself, buddy."  
  
Jamie stuck his tongue out at him before sitting down beside him.  
  
"Jamie...I want to tell you a little story. Is that ok?"  
  
"Uh...sure."  
  
"You see, he hits the guy with the bandages on his head first. You know why? Cause he's smart, that's why. He knows the guy with the bandages on his ass is goin' nowhere. Where are ya goin'? Nowhere! YOU'RE-GOIN'-NOWHERE!" While saying the last part of his tirade, John jumped to his feet and made wild hand gestures towards the ground.  
  
The young mutant stared at up John with a confused 'what-the-hell' expression on his face.  
  
"Yeah, so, there was no real point to that," he said, sitting back down. "I just wanted to say it," John admitted, grinning indolently.  
  
"And you thought me and the sock were weird..." Jamie muttered under his breath.  
  
John kept grinning. "There's nothing that says I can't have some fun, every once in a while. But usually not this early," he added, half a beat late.  
  
Jamie laughed. "That doesn't stop Kurt and Bobby from doing it."  
  
"Yeah well...I was young like them once. And uh... Yeah. You and Mister Sock can bother me after school. When I'm not so...blehy."  
  
"Blehy?"  
  
"I dunno. I just kind of made it up."  
  
Before the conversation could grow any more awkward, the other younger students came piling in from either the dining room of their rooms.  
  
"Was that you yelling, Gimpy?" Bobby asked.  
  
"Er. No. It was Jamie."  
  
"No it wasn't!" the young boy shouted.  
  
"See," John said, gesturing at him. That received a good laugh from the others, and eventually Jamie, once he finally understood the joke.  
  
John stood up as Ororo came walking down the stairs, although he very nearly fell over as he recalled the events of his dream. He unintentionally rubbed his chest and glanced down at his...naughty bits.  
  
"And are we all ready for school?" she asked in her typical regal tone.  
  
A chorus of "no's" rang up, and she shook her head and walked out the door, the others and John behind her.  
  
Jamie fell into step beside John, making sure that he would play basketball with him after school.  
  
_We suck at the sport and yet we play. I don't get it._  
  
"Yes Jamie, we'll play basketball after school."  
  
"Basketball eh?" Ray said, looking over his shoulder at John. "I'm in."  
  
"In what?" Sam asked. "Basketball."  
  
"Oooh. Me too. What about you Roberto?"  
  
"You bet I am!"  
  
"And me," chimed in Bobby. "We can play three-on-three."  
  
The others nodded in agreement, Jamie too, looking very excited.  
  
_Bloody hell._  
  
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The end might have seemed weird, but hey, John's going through some rough times, and mentally, his whole axis has been thrown off course. Just try and bear with it, please.  
  
And coming next...some Brotherhood action (not **that** kind of action, perv), and we get to find out just what John has to do for Scott... 


	34. School Daze

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 34**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. And in this particular chapter, the large chunk of italics not too far down is a flashback.  
Heh, finally, we get to some real plot development. Enough of this filler junk I've been doing. Finally, something interesting to read, other than something random I stuck together. Say it with me: Huzzah. Or not.  
  


Istanbul, not Constantinople.

  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this, except my original character, John.  
  
If bad language offends you, or gives you the urge to buy orgasmic shampoo, just uh...read the story and replace the word with a cutesy alternative.  
  
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John stared down at his feet as he trudged his way to class, not-so-eagerly awaiting the events this new day would bring. As soon as Jamie had been dropped off at his school, John shut his eyes and ignored everything around him, until they finally arrived at the high school.  
  
_It's Monday. Monday's suck. I'm at school. School sucks. And my usual list of reasons in which I'm allowed to be bitchy: my arms fall off, I don't know how to keep my mouth shut, I'm really cheesy when it comes to girls, and..._ The list went on and on, most of the things John brought up being stupid, pointless, and trivial.  
  
_And thus is me._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
_Yeah, ok. I do sometimes frighten myself at how angsty I can be. Must be the hormones._  
  
However, it was only a matter of time, he convinced himself, before something happened that would make the day worse than it already was.  
  
And how he would rue ever thinking that...  
  
"Hey! Watch where you're goin'!" a voice said, and suddenly John was sent reeling backwards, his feet sliding across the tile floor. He blinked hard and looked up and around, confused beyond belief.  
  
"Huh?" he murmured absently.  
  
Suddenly, red and white filled John's vision and it took him a moment to realize he was staring at a person. A person wearing a jacket, to be precise. A person wearing a fancy Bayville High letter jacket. His eyes traced up the person's chest, until he was looking at the scowling face of an older, blond haired guy who looked like someone the girls fawned after.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You don't hear very well, do you?" the older student spat. He brought up a fist and grabbed John by the collar of his shirt. "You're lucky I don't pound your face in. Consider this your warning: watch where you're going next time."  
  
_What the hell is he babbling about?_  
  
"Huh?" John replied, still very much confused.  
  
And then John was moving backwards again, and it took a moment for him realize he had been pushed. By the time he had regained his balance and composure, the blond guy had his back turned to John, and began gesturing and guffawing with some of his similarly-dressed cronies.  
  
And the proverbial light bulb came on in John's head.  
  
_Hey...that's the guy Jean's shaboinkin' with or whatever. So that means he's the guy who gets to kick my ass today. Oh joy. Remind me to thank Scott later._  
  
John sighed hopelessly and resumed his trudging, this time, watching where he was going.  
  
_Well, at least it can't get worse than this..._  
  
He spoke too soon.  
  
**********  
  
John shivered as the cold water cascaded across his newly regenerated right arm. He glanced up at his reflection in the mirror and shook his head at the sight behind him. It was really very funny, and John hadn't felt so good since...well, there wasn't much that had happened that could top this. They didn't know what his power was, which was why they were all in a state of utter shock...  
  
  
_A large meaty hand shot out from nowhere, clamping down hard on John's shoulder. Everything shifted to the right, and he found himself face-to-face with another person's chest.  
  
"Jesus. You'd think I'd have some luck and someone I'd run into would be a girl..." he thought.  
  
Fred Dukes, appropriately known as the Blob to others, stared back down at John before practically throwing him completely into the bathroom. In fact, for a brief two seconds, John Jashback had the ability to fly. But the recently-airborne mutant had to make an emergency landing on the cold, dank floor of the bathroom; not a very pleasant place to suddenly find yourself laying in.  
  
Laying flat on his stomach, John looked up in front of him and groaned. Who else would be in the restroom with him, but Lance Alvers, Pietro, and the little green guy who tried to steal from John.  
  
John pushed himself up onto his feet and regarded them. "Look guys, I don't know what kind of shit you're tryin' to pull, and I couldn't really care. I've got to get to class, and as far as I'm concerned, we're even."  
  
He spun around and started to walk away, not giving them a chance to reply. "The sooner I get out, there's less of a chance that something bad will happen," he told himself. It was a shame that it didn't quite work out like that.  
  
As John pushed his way past the blob that was...the Blob, something grabbed his arm, and yanked backwards. But that was all he felt. The grasp and the pull.  
  
"How can this be happening so early?" he wailed in his mind.  
  
Luckily, John hadn't made it out of the restroom when it happened, so no one would have seen the one-armed man. Except the Brotherhood.  
  
"That's right. They haven't seen my power..." John thought. This was going to be good.  
  
Turning around, John barely contained his laughter as the four mutant delinquents stared wide-eyed and gaping, especially poor Fred, who looked as if he wasn't sure if he should drop the arm, throw it away, or try and put it back on John.  
  
"I...I think you broke him, yo," the green-skinned boy, whom John finally remembered as Toad, said, breaking the ice.  
  
"Uh...uh...uh...uh..." stammered Fred.  
  
"Give me that," John said, snatching his arm from the larger boy's elephantine-like hand. He swung his backpack around in front of him (an easy task, as it now hung limply on one shoulder) and slid his loose limb inside.  
  
John walked over to the long counter of sinks and mirrors and leaned onto it for support. He clamped his mouth shut and shut his eyes, and grunted, the same strange sinewy-sounding noise indicating the regeneration of a new limb. Behind him, he heard a girlish little yelp, and the sound of something falling over..._  
  
  
It really wasn't their fault. They just _didn't know_.  
  
Behind him, Pietro Maximoff let out a low moan and stood back up, rubbing various parts of his body that had impacted with the floor when he fainted. His fellow Brotherhood members paid him no mind, their gazes still locked on the newest X-Man.  
  
Still feeling euphoric, John turned off the faucet and briefly shook his arm dry, before wiping it clean with a paper towel. "So...you guys gonna let me go now?"  
  
"Man, and people think _I'm_ weird..." the Toad muttered.  
  
"So uh...is that your...uh...y'know..." Fred choked out.  
  
John held out his recently-regenerated arm, and the other four took a step backwards. "Pretty useless, huh?"  
  
Lance worked his jaw as if he were trying to say something, but no noise came from him.  
  
"The other arm does the same. Wanna see?" John held up his other arm and waved it at them.  
He was met with a stone wall of silence.  
  
"Guess not," John said, smirking.  
  
Overhead, a bell let out it's shrilly call.  
  
"Oh look, there's the bell. You guys wouldn't mind if I went to class now, would you?"  
  
The four shook their heads numbly, and John left the restroom, practically floating on air.  
  
**********  
  
John barely managed to make it to class without being tardy, and as the teacher stood in front of the class, droning on about whatever happened to be in the curriculum, John smiled lazily and nodded off into space.  
  
_There truly is justice in the world._  
  
But, being a side-effect of John's mutant power was bad luck, he had yet to execute his plan for the stupid idea Scott had.  
  
_I swear to God, I hate Scott Summers right now. Damn 'Look-At-My-Cool-Glasses-Cause-They-Make-Me-Look-So-Badass' Scott Summers ruining my happiness._  
  
Lunch was going to suck.  
  
**********  
  
John set his food-laden lunch tray down on the table and sat down with his fellow mutants.  
  
"Looks like somebody's hungry..." Evan Daniels said wryly.  
  
"Who? Me? I'm always hungry!" Kurt Wagner exclaimed.  
  
"Not you, Kurt. Gimpy over here. I think he's going to beat you in sheer food consumption today."  
  
"Oooooh, using the big words, Evan?" Kitty Pryde said, putting on a fake sneer.  
  
John shook his head and blocked out the conversation, shoving his plastic spork into the cardboard meat, glancing over to Scott. The older mutant was looking at him, or so John thought. _It's so damn hard to tell with those glasses. He could look down a girls shirt and no one would know... Lucky bastard..._  
  
John barely nodded, and Scott did the same.  
  
It was time to put the plan into action.  
  
John coughed the 'meat' out of his mouth and stared at his tray in disgust. "Alright, I've had enough of this crap they call food," he spat, his voice full of loathing. "I'm gonna dump this and go complain or something." He stood up, tray in hand, and started walking off to the other side of the cafeteria.  
  
"Aw, all zhat food..." Kurt whined.  
  
Scott glanced down at his watch. "Ooh, look at the time. I'll see you guys after school. I got something to go do right now..." He stood up and started in the same direction as John, making a quick turn over and around him.  
  
_The crap you get yourself into, John. And all because you wanted to impress a girl you barely knew. Real fuckin' intelligent there._  
  
_Do you have to be so negative all the time?_  
_You tell me. You're me, after all._  
  
_...Damn you._  
  
Up ahead, John sighted his quarry. The same blond idiot who pushed him around earlier. And Scott was right: Jean would be with him, as would his other jacket-wearing friends.  
  
_God, if you're up there, and not too busy looking at women all over the planet taking showers, could you do me a big favor and make sure I come through this without dying?_  
  
John looked down at his food-covered tray and went in, the broad back of the blond guy painting a large target.  
  
Stepping right up behind him, John tipped over the tray, the food spilling over the side...and onto the blond guy's back.  
  
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I must have tripped!" John exclaimed, lying through his teeth.  
  
"Holy shit! What the hell are you doin'?!?" the blond guy shouted, jumping out of his seat and looking at all of the food sitting in his chair.  
  
"Oh man, I'm so sorry! I tripped, and dropped all my food! Crap, I'm so sorry, man!"  
John said pleading, half lying, and half meaning it. Granted, he was supposed to say that, but he really hoped the damage done would be minimal.  
  
**********  
  
"Whoa! Kurt, check out what ol' Gimpy just did to Duncan Matthews!" Evan shouted, pointed excitedly to the other end of the cafeteria, where the blond-haired, food covered Duncan was shouting angrily at John Jashback.  
  
Kurt turned his head around and his eyes instantly widened.  
  
"C'mon, K-Man, we gotta get him outta there before he gets pounded!"  
  
The two boys jumped up and started running over to the altercation, which was rapidly gaining an audience.  
  
"Hey guys! Like, wait for me!" Kitty Pryde shouted, chasing after them.  
  
**********  
  
John held up his arms in a half-hearted defense. "Look man, I'm really sorry. Honest. I tripped, and spilled my food! It isn't my fault you were in the way! You've got a good reason to be pissed, cause that was a waste of some good food!"  
  
The big blond guy, Duncan, visibly fumed. Jean Grey stood in front of him, pleading with him to calm down, while all of his buddies crowded around (along with everyone else in the cafeteria), egging Duncan on to kick John's ass.  
  
**********  
  
Scott Summers watched the 'accident' take place, and the exchange. He stepped forward, pushing himself through the crowd. It was almost time he made his move.  
  
**********  
  
"Hey yo, look over there!" said Todd Tolansky.  
  
His fellow (male) Brotherhood members were skulking in the cafeteria, when the 'accident' occurred.  
  
"Looks like the freaky X-Geek is gettin' in a fight with Mister Big-Shot Football Player. 'Bout time that jerk picked on someone besides me..." Todd grumbled. He and Duncan Matthews had a few various run-ins before, including one that ended with an explosion and a concussion.  
  
"Wanna go watch?" Fred drawled.  
  
"I dunno. That guy's kinda creepy," Todd replied.  
  
Fred nodded quietly.  
  
"Oh, you guys are just chicken," Pietro said, in his usual rapid-fire talk.  
  
Lance snorted. "He's the guy who made you faint."  
  
"Yeah, and I should kick his ass again for that..." Pietro grumbled.  
  
"That's if you don't faint again. Or if he doesn't beat you up again, yo."  
  
Pietro scowled, and rather than argue with his decidedly _stupid_ teammates, he disappeared, a gust of wind marking his speedy departure.  
  
**********  
  
Duncan Matthews took a swing at John, his large fist aiming straight for his head.  
  
John ducked as it passed overhead, as he frantically searched the crowd for Scott.  
  
All around them, scores of other students cheered and booed and shouted, as fights were simple enough to bring the day's routine to a grinding halt.  
  
_Where the hell are you, dammit?!_  
  
John wasn't so lucky with Duncan's second swing, as it came around and connected square with his jaw.  
  
Falling onto the cold floor, John clutched his face and howled in pain, screaming one word at himself in his head: _fuck_.  
  
And then, John was back on his feet, staring at Duncan's face, which had a sick grin on it. "I'm gonna enjoy this, punk. It'll teach you to spill your damn food on me. You had your warning this morning. I guess you were too stupid to listen to it." He pulled back a balled-up fist, aimed straight at his face.  
  
John winced and shut his eyes, waiting for his impending doom, as the crowd all around clamored for blood...  
  
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Alright, there. I ended with a cliffhanger. I needed to post a chapter so you'd all know I was still alive and writing, even though I've been working my ass off for the past two days, thus giving me little writing time, but hey, here you go. Enjoy, until the next chapter comes.  
  
Before anyone thinks that I really don't like Pietro (which one might think after me calling him gay and having him faint and scream like a sissy), let me say that I don't hate him. In fact, I think he's an alright guy (but really only because I can trace a connection from him to Iron Man, and any character that has a connection to Iron Man is cool in my book). 


	35. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 35**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts.  
I know, I know. _Sure as hell took long enough for this chapter, didn't it?_ I'm sorry. It's just that, you know, the whole holiday thing going on, plus I had a temp. job before Christmas that took up much of my time, and when I finally got home, I was too exhausted to write anything. I'll really try to update faster, since I'm sure I've lost a great deal of my readers (or the last few chapters have just sucked _that badly_). And hey, I'm serious here: if you've got a suggestion for the story, or have something you want to see, please, please, please, _please_, **please**, please tell me. If I have a good idea on what to write, stuff gets written faster, rather than me staring at a blank word file for hours on end. And I still love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this, except my original character, John, and any body parts of his that fall off. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so, uh...don't freak out over them, ok?  
  
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_With great power comes great responsibility..._  
  
The line rang in his ears, echoing over and over and over...  
  
_John, you've been watching Spiderman too much..._  
  
The sudden and abrupt silence brought him back into reality.  
  
And the situation he was in.  
  
But something was different.  
  
His face was still intact, and the only pain he felt was the throbbing in his jaw, which was slowly dissipating.  
  
John cautiously opened an eye. His other eye flung open, and his mouth hit the floor.  
  
Things certainly hadn't gone as planned.  
  
John was supposed to start a fight with Duncan Matthews, and Scott would come in to save the day, making himself look good in front of Jean. A simple plan. An easy plan. For Scott, at least.  
  
But no, it didn't go according to plan. But then again, do things ever go the way you want them? Some unknown variable always enters the equation, putting a wrench into everything you've come up with. And this was certainly something no one expected to happen, much less John, and the complete opposite of what Scott wanted to happen.  
  
No, John didn't open his eyes to see Scott Summers doing his portion of the plan. No, when John opened his eyes, he saw Jean Grey kissing Duncan Matthews.  
  
The grip on John's shirt slowly vanished, and the fist, ready to lash out like a scorpion's stinger, slowly released and slumped down to Duncan's side.  
  
_...Shit._  
  
John, like everyone else in the cafeteria at that moment in time, was silent. Silent like 'hear the pin drop' silent.  
  
_I'm imagining this, right? I sure hope so..._  
  
Jean finally pulled away from Duncan, who looked flustered and dazed and confused and surprised. Taking a quick glance in John's direction, Jean pressed her way through the crowd of people and disappeared from sight.  
  
_And that's a damn good idea, too..._ Quoting a line from, in John's opinion, one of the greatest movies ever, he made like a tree and got the fuck outta there.  
  
**********  
  
_Well, I think it's safe to say that Scott hates me now. Yep. I just hope he doesn't try to blast a hole through my chest or something. Hell, he probably will._  
  
John sighed, leaning up against a row of lockers outside of the cafeteria.  
  
_Well, I can always leave. It'll be a nice, clean break. With no regrets. I mean, c'mon. I been here...what, a week? I can go home, away from all of this. Away from all of this. Cause hell, only one arm was falling off before I came here. Now it's both. What's next? My legs? My head? My..._  
  
John winced. The slightest mention of harm coming to a man's private parts was painful in itself. As for something actually happening... It was a subject every man in the world tended to shy away from.  
  
_But leaving is just a cheap way to escape my troubles. Sure, it could work now, but I can't just run for the rest of my life, whenever things don't go my way. So John, suck it up. 'Don't do the crime if you can't pay the time.'  
  
Though I wouldn't exactly count what I've done as 'crimes,' but hell, in some way or another, I directly, or indirectly, have a hand in everything that's happened. I could have ignored Pietro, not goaded Lance. I didn't have to go on the date, or wander aimlessly and start a fire, losing a pair of clothes in the process...and some of my dignity too.  
  
Dignity?  
  
Yeah. You remember that, don't you? You used to have lots of it before you came here. Pride, self-esteem, a sense of well-being. Courage, intelligence, that sort of thing.  
  
Oh, that. Yeah. Dignity. Sure as hell don't have as much as I used to..._  
  
"John."  
  
Turning his head in the direction of the voice that called his name, and saw the number two person on the 'I Don't Want To See You Right Now' list.  
  
"Jean," John said simply, nodding to himself.  
  
He pushed himself forward off the wall and thrust his hands into pockets. "So er... Yeah."  
  
"I just want to apologize for what happened back there. Duncan shouldn't have snapped like that."  
  
"No, really?" John muttered. Sure, he had dumped a tray of food onto him with the intent of goading him into a fight, but deep down, he hoped the lummox would just shrug it off or...well, anything that could have happened would have been better than what _did_ happen.  
  
"I totally agree with you," she said.  
  
"Huh?" John said, looking up at her. "I didn't say anythi... Oh yeah. Shouldn't you like knock or something before barging into my head?"  
  
Her face twisted for a moment. "I hardly ever enter someone's thoughts without their permission. But you were involuntarily projecting them, and so I couldn't help but hear them," she explained.  
  
John eyed her for a moment and shrugged. "Well uh, I think I'll uh, just go now..."  
  
Her hand reached out and grabbed his arm as he turned away, but quickly let go. John stopped in mid-stride and grinned. "You remembered."  
  
She nodded. "I wouldn't want you to fall apart in the middle of school, after all."  
  
"Wouldn't be the first time," John said under his breath.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, nothing. So uh...why did you stop me?"  
  
"You didn't really trip, did you?"  
  
The pit of John's stomach sunk to the bottom depths. He didn't expect that question, especially so bluntly.  
  
_Keep cool. Keep cool. Composure. Keep that last bit of pride you still have._  
  
"No, I did trip. I mean, c'mon, I'm in no condition to fight some big football player. I mean, what if I lost an arm? Think of the ruckus it'd cause."  
  
_Yeah. That sounded good. Yeah..._  
  
"Don't lie to me, John," Jean said, jabbing a finger into his chest.  
  
"Ow..." John glared and rubbed where she poked. _She needs to trim her nails or something._ "I'm not lying to you."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
John gave her a sideways glance. "I thought you didn't go into people's heads without permission."  
  
"I don't need telepathy to know that you aren't being honest. You're a bad liar."  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Jean chuckled softly before continuing. "Are you going to tell me the truth?"  
  
Time seemed to stop for John Jashback. He weighed the options in his mind. Yes, the plan had failed, but if he told her, it might all work out in the end. Then again, it could totally blow up in his face. He could feed her more b.s. and just run away, or she could go into his head and find out the truth. What felt like an eternity of babbling incoherently in the corners of his mind turned out to only be a few seconds. _To hell with it._ He was going to tell her.  
  
"The door is open, and the truth lies within. But do you dare enter the unknown...?" John said, trying his best to impersonate Rod Serling, pointing at his forehead.  
  
It didn't work that well.  
  
Once Jean had recovered from her fit of giggling, she gave him a serious look. "Are you sure about this?"  
  
John nodded. "I'm no fancy orator, so I'll probably miss out on the important details. I figure you can get the whole story yourself, and easier. Just uh...ignore the other stuff, ok?"  
  
Jean gave him a knowing smile, which didn't surprise John. She had to have gone into plenty of minds in her tenure has a telepath, he assured himself. She had to know the deepest, darkest secrets many people had, the Professor, too. They had to be good at keeping people's secrets to themselves, or else...they probably wouldn't be breathing anymore.  
  
John tapped his head and said simply, "Go for it."  
  
Pressing her fingertips to his temples, John shivered as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on his head. After that, things just passed as a blur.  
  
**********  
  
John wasn't sure when he, for the lack of a more descriptive term, came back into reality. It couldn't have been long, as the hallways were still devoid of people. They couldn't have missed the bell, because he knew he sure as hell would notice if a gorgeous redhead had her hands on some random guy's head in the middle of a hall.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"You were right, you know," she said.  
  
"I was? About what?" John asked.  
  
"Scott really could have done this on his own. I don't know why he drug you into the situation."  
  
"Heh, glad **someone** agrees with me. Not that it does me any good right now. Or you. Or Scott."  
  
"True."  
  
The two stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, well, at least for John. Jean seemed to be tucked away in her own thoughts.  
  
"Er...so what are you going to do about all this?"  
  
"That...is a good question. And right now, I just don't know..." she trailed off, looking very frustrated with herself.  
  
John nodded. _I think you made things worse when you kissed Duncan._ Which reminded him...  
  
"Er...I never got to say it, but thanks, for, y'know...essentially taking a bullet for me."  
  
Jean smiled, and John immediatly went weak in the knees.  
  
_Damn you for being male, John. Hell, it isn't my fault._  
  
"We're X-Men. We look out for each other," she said. "And I hope you understand that now."  
  
"I do. I uh...yeah. I understand. Thanks, you know. If you uh, ever need me to kiss a girl who's about to kick your ass, well, you can come to me!"  
  
The instant those words came out of his mouth, John knew they were totally inappropriate.  
  
"Er...I...er...uh...sorry...er...yeah...uh...you know what I mean, right?"  
  
Jean laughed softly and nodded. "Yes, and your welcome. I hope this means you still aren't thinking about leaving?"  
  
Trying hard not to wince, John nodded. "I can't run away from my troubles forever. But right now, it seems like a good idea."  
  
He turned and started walking away.  
  
"Where are you going?" she called after him.  
  
"Don't know," he replied, not turning back. "Anywhere but here sounds good."  
  
_Playing hooky on your second week of school? Naughty boy, John. Shut up, you stupid cricket._  
  
"You're welcome to come with me," _Even if I don't know where I'm going._  
  
John heard her footsteps, but couldn't tell if they were approaching or fading...   
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If that whole 'cricket' thing John mutters about in his thoughts confuses you, go see the Disney version of **Pinocchio**, and it'll clear things up.  
  
John groans alot. And sighs. And nods. The poor guy.  
  
Post, you have no idea how overjoyed I am that you've reviewed the last few chapters. I was afraid that you'd disappeared on me, and with you...I dunno. You rock.  



	36. Delaying The Inevitable

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 36**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this, except my original character, John, and any body parts of his that fall off. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so there's your warning.  
  
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"So uh...what the...heck are we going to do when we get back to the Institute?" John had to check his language - he wasn't exactly sure how Jean would react to his casual swearing.  
  
Jean didn't answer for a while. John glanced over at her, but she looked lost in her thoughts. He shrugged his shoulders and they continued walking in silence.  
  
He had no idea where they were. He just started walking. And she walked with him. They hadn't said anything until John spoke up a moment ago, for which he was very grateful. He wasn't in a talking mood either.  
  
They were in some neighborhood, a nice looking place that reminded John of his old home. It was nice and cool outside, but then again, the weather was always like that in Bayville. _Stupid ocean._ It was quiet, too. Not surprising, as it wasn't even one o'clock yet. Which meant that they had at least four more hours to come up with some kind of game plan, or else...  
  
"I don't know what to do," she said finally.  
  
John sighed. He really hoped she'd have some kind of idea. She seemed a helluva lot more level-headed than he was, and thus, smarter, or so he told himself.  
  
"Alright, fine," John said, stopping in his tracks. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he needed to get the problem resolved. "Let's get this situation settled right now, rather than letting it fester inside of us for the rest of the day."  
  
"Ok...what's your idea?"  
  
"Do you like Scott?"  
  
"Excuse me?" she said, taken aback by his very to-the-point question.  
  
"You heard me. Do you like Scott?"  
  
"Uh...I guess..."  
  
"Do you like him as much as he likes you?"  
  
"Um. That's kind of a personal question."  
  
"Yeah, well I gave you free access to my thoughts, so you know the shit that I wouldn't tell anyone," he said, a little rougher than he intended. "So tell me. Do-you-like-him-the-same-way-he-likes-you?"  
  
"I...I guess so," she said quietly.  
  
"Do you like him enough to blackmail a pathetic, confused young man who's arms fall off into doing something so completely idiotic to try and impress him?"  
  
"I'm serious," John added, when Jean started laughing hysterically.  
  
"Uh...sure, I guess so," she said around muffled giggles.  
  
"Well there you go. That wasn't too difficult, was it? It only took skipping school and fist to my jaw to get that barrier broken down..." John said dryly. It made her laugh more.  
  
"This means that when we finally get back, you're going to go tell him, right?"  
  
Her laughter cut off, but she didn't respond.  
  
"Uh...right?" John asked, giving her a questioning look.  
  
_Oh no, you aren't backin' out of this now..._  
  
"Right," John said for her. "We're going to go back, find Scott, you'll tell him, you'll both be happy, and I'll leave you alone together so you can make out and do all that stuff. **And yer gonna like it, too!**" Sure, that last part wasn't necessary, but it helped drive the point home.  
  
Jean flashed an odd look in his direction. "You're persistent, aren't you?"  
  
"When my ass is on the line, I sure as hell am!" _Screw trying to keep the swearing to myself. It's nothing she can't hear on TV._  
  
She laughed again before saying, "I guess you have a point there."  
  
From completely out of left field, and like a sharp hammer blow, something hit John. Not literally, but in the metaphorical sense. A thought occurred to him that should have come to mind long ago. Jean said something to him, but he didn't hear her... Correction; he did hear her, but the words made no sense.  
  
_Oh Jesus Christ... How did you not think about that shit before you cracked open your skull and let he poke around? You stupid mother-fu..._  
  
John had no problem with Jean knowing that he had the hots for every girl in the Institute. Because really, it wasn't that big of a deal. Especially when the Institute was full of other teenage males just like him. No, that wasn't the problem. The problem was a particular tangled mess of soiled bedding stuffed under John's bed. Oh sure, it's something that happens to all guys, but it's still pretty embarrassing.  
  
"Did you just hear what I said?"  
  
"Uh. Yeah," John lied. "Can you do me a favor?"  
  
"Um. Ok."  
  
"Uh. Try to uh...uh...you know, uh...gah! This is embarrassing... Um."  
  
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I saw. And uh, not to sound rude, but I'm going to try and forget everything I did see..." She shivered and blinked hard.  
  
John felt himself go _very_ red in the face, and he wished with all of his heart that he was somewhere else. But the burden that had suddenly dropped onto his shoulders was gone again.  
  
"Heh. I bet you have to do that a lot, don't you?"  
  
"If only you knew..." Jean replied, blowing aside wisp of hair that had fallen into the middle her face.  
  
"Alright, so we got the important stuff out of the way." He waited for her nod before continuing. "Then what do we do with all this extra time?"  
  
"Well, we could go back to school..."  
  
"No thanks. We're bound to get detention for skipping, and I'd rather wait until tomorrow for it."  
  
"Good point."  
  
"Should we just go back to the Institute?"  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"I don't know. You've got the watch."  
  
"Oh...right." Jean glanced down at her wrist and sighed. "It isn't even two yet."  
  
"Damn, I want to go already..." John murmured. "Er...." he croaked out, after seeing the look Jean shot him. "Not that I uh, don't uh, enjoy your company, but uh...uh...uh...uh...yeah."  
  
_Oh, now that was smooth._  
  
"Don't worry. I know what you mean." She punched him lightly in the shoulder to show there was no harm done. "C'mon, let's go." She turned and started walking away.  
  
"Uh...where are we going?" John said to her back.  
  
She looked back at him before shrugging her shoulders. "Don't know. We'll find out when we get there."  
  
_Heh, that sounds eerily familiar..._ "Well...I hope they have food, wherever it is we're going," John called after her, rubbing his stomach.  
  
**********  
  
John Jashback was a messy eater. Oh sure, his parents taught him manners, and he generally followed them, but he really was a messy eater. But sometimes it isn't your fault if you eat messy. Sometimes the food is just naturally messy. Like spaghetti, or chili, even borscht. In John's case, it was a hamburger.  
  
John didn't quite remember the name of the restaurant...it was Burger Barn or something, but frankly, he didn't care as he was busy stuffing his face with something they had called a 'Gut Bomb.' It was the biggest, meatiest, greasiest, and messiest burger you'd ever find, and from what Jean explained to him, they were a delicacy in the eyes of Kurt, who, if he wasn't at school or the Institute, he could be found here, clogging his arteries. John didn't blame him in the least bit. He was working on his fourth one at that moment.  
  
"It's a side affect of my...er...curse." That was his reasoning for eating so much. And in many ways, it was true, although John didn't call his arms falling off a power or an ability or a talent. It was a useless curse.  
  
"Yeah well...do you have to be so..._gross_ with it?"  
  
John wiped his face off with a napkin and set the battered mess of a burger down onto the table. "Let's see you eat this bad boy without makin' a mess."  
  
Jean rolled her eyes and turned so that she didn't have to look directly at John.  
  
"Hurry up and finish, so we can get out of here," she said, taking extra care to not look at him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." he said, carefully watching her face. "I'll finish this one, and we can go." She started to relax, and so he went in for the kill. "That is, after I have a few extra ones. For the road, you know?"  
  
He was full extreme delight at seeing her sickly expression.  
  
**********  
  
John let out a satisfied sigh as he kicked at the grass in front of him.  
  
After John had finally had his fill of Gut Bombs (he had only teased about those extra burgers), the two mutants made their way to a nearby park. Jean claimed that she liked the fresh air. John was pretty sure that she just wanted to get out of there before he got hungry again.  
  
_Oh man. Those burgers are true to their name._  
  
He had to fight hard to keep from unbuttoning the top of his jeans. His recently filled stomach desperately needed room to expand.  
  
_If she wasn't so hot, I'd do it anyway, but I don't want to make an ass of myself._  
  
Sure, it was shallow thinking, but that was how the hormone-driven male psyche worked.  
  
_Of course, it's too late to worry about making an ass of yourself. You've long since passed that point, pal._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
Ignoring the aura of negativity radiating from his mind, John nudged a decidedly bored looking Jean.  
  
"Hm?" she said absently-mindedly.  
  
"Mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure," she said, gazing off into space.  
  
"Why were you dating that Aryan biped in the first place?"  
  
"What?" she said, very much listening now.  
  
"Why were you with that guy in the first place?"  
  
"Isn't that kind of a personal question that you're asking me?"  
  
John held up his hands in defense. "You don't have to answer me."  
  
She gave him a considering look and they sat in silence for a moment before she finally replied.  
  
"I don't really know why I did it. I guess to try and feel as normal as I can."  
  
John nodded. "I know what you mean."  
  
"I mean, I knew he... I don't know why... I knew what he was like before I got into a relationship with him. He didn't change much afterwards, either. He's still the same stupid, shallow idiot who tells the same stupid stories. I can't tell you how much I loathe football sometimes."  
  
John chuckled softly and let her continue.  
  
"I just...wanted to feel normal. That's why I do so many things at school. If I do enough to keep busy, I can sometimes forget that I'm a mutant."  
  
He nodded. She had a point. "But why? Your power isn't exactly a problem or obstacle or anything. Not like mine. Or Scott's. Or Kurt's. Or Rogue's."  
  
_What kind of name is Rogue, anyway? Does she even have a real name? I'll have to ask her about that._  
  
Jean smirked at his comment, though he didn't know it was from what he said, or what he thought. "Oh sure, I may not be blue and I can touch others, but... People like to be alone with their thoughts, but I never am. And anyone around me isn't alone with their thoughts either."  
  
"Hmm... I guess so."  
  
"I suppose you aren't completely convinced. Not that I blame you. If I had your...abilities, a little telepathy wouldn't be too impressive to me, either."  
  
"Heh. It's like...it's like you read my mind. No pun intended."  
  
Jean stuck out her tongue, but her face quickly hardened. "A few months ago, my powers started to evolve, and I couldn't control them. I don't remember much of what happened, but from what Scott and the Professor let slip, I caused quite a lot of damage. Scott nearly...died, trying to help me."  
  
John didn't quite know how to respond to that. How could you, when just a moment ago, you were practically putting someone down, only to have them tell you something like that?  
  
"Uh...sorry?" He managed to form some strange lopsided half-smile, half-grin.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't hold it against you."  
  
It eased the tension, but John still didn't say anything. He still didn't know how to reply to that.  
  
After sitting in silence for a couple of minutes (that felt like an hour to John), he finally broke the ice again. "Er, uh...so what time is it?"  
  
"A quarter to three."  
  
"Well, we'll be early, but we might as well head back. I know that I'd much rather be there before everyone else."  
  
"I suppose you're right," she said, standing up beside him. "Shall we?"  
  
"Lead on, cause I don't have any idea where we are and how to get back."  
  
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Er, sorry if any of that seemed out of character or something for Jean, but the show kind of lacks in characterization sometimes.  
  
'Alright' seemed to be John's favorite word this chapter. Huzzah.  



	37. Crime and Punishment

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 37**  
  
Author's Note: You know the routine. Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this, except my original character, John, and any body parts of his that fall off. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so there's your warning.  
  
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"I won't tell anyone, if you don't want me to."  
  
"Tell anyone what?"  
  
"What you told me, back in the park."  
  
"Oh." There was a brief pause in her words. "Thank you."  
  
"It felt good, getting all that stuff off your chest, didn't it?"  
  
"Yes...yes, it did."  
  
"Of course, this means you owe me now."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Well, since I let you vent and talk and all that, that means you're going to have to do that for me, at least once."  
  
Jean very nearly tripped and fell flat on her face, but she caught herself just in time. "Alright then, I guess that's fair."  
  
The duo were steadily making their way along a winding road, surrounded by the dense forest. John uselessly cursed himself for not owning a car.  
  
"How much farther?" John moaned.  
  
"You know, for a guy, you're pretty whiny."  
  
"Hey, do your arms fall off? No, didn't think so." Jean just rolled her eyes. John half-grinned, half-sneered. "I think that allows me to complain, a little bit." It was a low blow, and probably one of the cheesiest excuses someone could use, but hey, who was gonna argue with a statement like that?  
  
Besides, it was the best excuse he had. He wasn't sure if that were a good thing or a bad thing...  
  
"Just around this curve, and it'll be in sight."  
  
And she was right.  
  
John could see a clearing through the trees, and sure enough, once he had passed that curve, he could see the Institute in a massive clearing, forest on one side of it, and a large concrete wall wrapping around it. It looked like a really fancy prison.  
  
That description didn't do much to make John feel better.  
  
Up until that moment, he had pushed out most of thoughts of whatever kind of trouble they'd be in. It was just better to not think about those sorts of things.  
  
But now that he was back, he couldn't stop thinking about that, even if his life depended on it. _Wonder what they'll do to me... They could ground me, or give me a big workload of chores or something. I guess it's not a good time to ask why I bother doing Danger Room sessions... And I'm too old for spankings. I just hope they know that, too..._  
  
"What are they going to do to us?" John asked timidly.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"When we get back...we're bound to get in trouble. What are they going to do to us?"  
  
"Oh, well, I'm not sure. We're not troublemakers or anything like that." She paused, and glanced over at him. "Well, _I'm_ not a troublemaker, so I'll get off with some sort of restriction, and whatever the school does. You, on the other hand..."  
  
John groaned. As good looking as she was, Jean Grey could be downright depressing sometimes.  
  
"But...none of what I've done is really my fault..." he pleaded with her. "I don't want to get...I dunno, maimed or anything."  
  
_What the hell, John? Are you going for 'Hypocrite of the Year' or something? Choose one: is all this crap that's happened been your fault, or hasn't it? I swear, every time I turn around it's 'Oh, it isn't my fault' or 'I brought it onto myself.' I'm getting pretty sick and tired of it, you know? You should, too, seeing that we're one in the same._  
  
John drowned the whining tone of his conscience long enough to hear Jean laugh and say something like, "You only have to worry about that if Logan doles out the punishments."  
  
It did little to soothe his ruffled feathers.  
  
When they reached the front gate, Jean walked over to a small keypad in a post by the gate, and punched in a set of numbers. The doors swung inward, and the two stepped inside.  
  
_Gotta remember to get that number. I reckon using the gate is easier than scaling the wall, yes? Yes..._  
  
It wasn't long before John's nagging conscience started up again.  
  
_I don't remember this driveway being so long. Of course you don't, you've always been in a car when you come down this road. Right, right. My feet hurt. Yes, they do. Are we there yet? My feet hurt._  
  
He said the last sentences out loud.  
  
"You're right...I am whiny," John added.  
  
"You think your feet hurt? I'm the one wearing sandals. They aren't exactly meant for the cross-country hiking we've done today," Jean said, pointing down to the feet and shoes in question.  
  
That shut John up rather quickly.  
  
They were about three-quarters of the way to the door when he piped up again. "So uh...are we just supposed to waltz in and say 'Hello, we're back, reporting for our punishments,' or do we let them come to us?"  
  
"Oh, they probably already know we're here."  
  
That didn't make John feel any better.  
  
Ororo met the two at the door, and said nothing. She simply motioned them to follow her. It wasn't long afterwards when Logan came into step behind the pair. That seriously didn't make John feel any better.  
  
Sure enough, they went up the stairs and down a few hallways until they reached the Professor's study. The four stepped inside and flanked either side of the Professor, who sat in middle of the room, his hands folded in his lap. John felt as if he were facing the firing squad. He would have been sweating bullets if he wasn't already worked up from all the walking.  
  
_Where's my blindfold and cigarette?_  
  
He considering saying it out loud, to try and ease the mood, but wisely chose against it. He didn't have much of a knack for comedic timing.  
  
"So..." Professor Xavier began, "Would you two care to explain your actions?"  
  
John glanced over at Jean, who was doing the same to him. He nodded his head in their direction, trying to get her to talk to them.  
  
_You don't have to make stupid gestures, John. I _am_ a telepath, remember?_  
  
John felt the heat rise to his face. _Er. Right. Sorry. So uh...you talk to them. I think it'll be harder for them to kill us if you do the explaining._  
  
Her only reply was _Pfft_ and...John swore that he could..._feel_ Jean toss her head, even if she didn't move at all in reality.  
  
"Don't worry, John," the Professor said in a fatherly tone. "There will be no...killing done here today."  
  
The other two adults wore puzzled expressions before realizing that a mental conversation was going on. Ororo brought up a hand to mute her laughter. Logan just snorted and shook his head.  
  
It didn't do much to make John feel any better. By now, he was having trouble standing up. He was never one for confrontations.  
  
"There's not much to say," Jean began. "Something happened at school, and we felt it would be best if we just left. We know it was wrong, and there's no excuse for skipping. We will accept any punishment you deem necessary."  
  
"I hear a lot of 'we' from Red, Gimpy," Logan growled. "Why don't you say something?"  
  
"Er uh..." John muttered, his voice shaky. "Well uh...she basically uh, you know, uh...said all that needed saying...uh...yeah..."  
  
"Very well. I see that the two of you understand the consequences of your actions," the Professor said. "Jean, you will be grounded for a week, and are not to leave the Institute, except for school or any school-related activity. Along with whatever punishment the school gives."  
  
She nodded, as if expecting no less.  
  
"If you'd excuse us please, Jean, we'd like to have a little discussion with John here."  
  
"Thank you Professor," she said, before looking over to John. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him an 'I'm Sorry' look. The instant the door closed behind her, John felt himself barely managing to stand, holding onto the last bit of his courage by his fingernails. Confrontations such as this were _definitely_ not for him, and he seriously hoped he could maintain the composure to not break into tears.  
  
_Calm down, calm down. No need to overreact. I'm sure it's nothing..._  
  
"Mr. Jashback..." Professor Xavier said slowly. "We received a call from the school today. It seems you were a participant in an altercation with another student?"  
  
_Crap. When an adult calls you by your first and middle name, or just by your last name, trouble always follows..._  
  
"Er...well, sort of. It wasn't much of a fight. He hit me once, and then I left..."  
  
The Professor gave him a considering look. "Restraint. That's always a good thing. Especially when you have such...sensitive abilities. Regardless, this has been the second fight you've been in at school since arriving, and if what the other students say is true, there are two more to add to that list."  
  
_Craaaaaaap._  
  
John only nodded.  
  
"I don't believe the problem is a lack of discipline... I don't believe you're the one to pick fights, not with your...sensitive abilities." _There's that 'sensitive' thing again. It's a pretty apt description, though._ "However, I cannot allow this to go unpunished. I'm going to give you four weeks on restriction, on the same terms as Jean." _How funny. Four weeks - four fights. If they could be called that. One-sided, one-sided, quickie, and a quickie._ "You will also attend a week of special training sessions with Logan." The man in question grinned, causing John to shiver. "Along with what the school does with you. Do you have any questions?" His tone left little room for arguing.  
  
_Well, so much for talking about not doing Danger Room sessions..._  
  
"No sir," John said simply.  
  
The Professor nodded. "Remember John, we're doing this for your own good."  
  
John nodded. He was right, and besides, it's not like he had much to do. He didn't know where anything in Bayville was, and had no friends outside the Institute. Being locked inside for four weeks didn't seem that big of a deal.  
  
Of course, it meant he and Amara couldn't go out on any dates.  
  
_Oh well. I'll live._  
  
_You don't seem too upset, not being able to go out with your...girlfriend._  
  
_Is she my girlfriend? I guess. I don't know. And yeah, I guess I'm not so upset._  
  
_And why are you not so upset, hmm Mister Smarty-Pants?_  
  
_Hrm. I don't know. I'm just not upset._  
  
_Uh-huh...you forget, Johnny-Boy, that I am you and you are me. I know what you're thinking._  
  
_Then why are we having this conversation?_  
  
_Why? Good question. You know the answer._  
  
_Er. No, I don't._  
  
_Do you think that maybe...just maybe...it has something to do with your not having feelings for Amara?_  
  
_What the hell are you talking about? Of course I have feelings for her. That stupid kiss I did in front of everyone isn't proof enough?_  
  
_That...that hardly counts. There's a different between love and lust, my friend._  
  
_Er, well, don't you think I'm a little young to be worrying about love? Isn't it a little early in my relationship with her to be thinking about that?_  
  
_No to the first question, and yes to the other. But why are we worrying about such foolishness? You know the answer to this whole thing. Why don't you just admit it?_  
  
_I don't know what you're talking about._  
  
The voice...sighed. There was no better way to describe it.  
  
_John, John, John... Stop being stupid. You know what the answer is. Do you need me to give you a hint?_  
  
_Sure. Why not?_  
  
_It's because...you...don't...like...Amara..._  
  
_Er. No, that's not right. Why wouldn't I like her? She's a good kisser..._  
  
The other voice interrupted. _It's not like you have a whole lot to base that against._  
  
_Shut up. You want me to answer your stupid question?_  
  
_Calm down, Johnny-Boy. I was only teasing. Now please, finish your story, if you would be so kind._  
  
_Bite my ass. As I was saying, why wouldn't I like her? She's cute, she's a good kisser, she's nice, she doesn't instantly run from me and my falling arms..._ John ignored the voice's protests, shouting about the fire caused by her freaking over his arm. _...Amara's just...just...why wouldn't I like her?_  
  
_Because...you like someone else._  
  
The mental exchange stopped and silence was all that was heard. Or felt..  
  
_I'm right, aren't I?_  
  
The silence continued.  
  
_Damn right, I'm right. Or, you're right. That doesn't matter. _**We're**_ right. And you know it. You like someone else, which is why this isn't such a big deal. Admit it. I'm right. You're right. _**We're**_ right._  
  
_I...I..._  
  
Laughter filled his head.  
  
_Hey genius, why don't you stop talking to me and pay attention to where you are?_  
  
_What are you...talking...about... Shit._  
  
Almost like waking up from a bad dream, John snapped back into reality. The room was empty. He looked all around, but the adults were gone. He looked down to see a piece of paper taped to his chest.  
  
"Dear John," it read, in beautiful, flowing letters. _I guess Ororo wrote this. Unless Logan has a little secret..._  
"I trust you will read this, once you come out of your daze. You know your punishment for what you did, and fortunately, the Professor was finished talking before you drifted off into your fantasy world. I suspect he knew what caused it, but he neglected to tell Logan or I." _Well, I guess I was right about Ororo writing this._ Relief washed over him. The thought of Logan writing so...pretty...was just frightening. "Don't worry. In time, you will come to learn we're just a big family, taking care of one another as best as we can, and one day, I hope you will see us in that way."  
  
The note ended there, but he couldn't help but laugh at it. It was awful thoughtful of them to do that. Of course, the embarrassment he felt quickly overtook his joyful demeanor.  
  
_What the hell were you thinking, doing that to me?_ He received no response from himself. He wasn't sure if that should make him feel better, or worse.  
  
Shaking his head, John folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. A rather ornate clock on the wall said it was just now 3:30.  
  
_I gotta find Jean, and make sure she fixes this whole hullabaloo with Scott. That's the last thing I need - her backing out at the last second._  
  
Relieved that the room was empty, and hoping he wouldn't run into Logan, Ororo, or the Professor any time soon, he left the room, hoping his search for Jean would be rather short. He wanted to get his sheets into the wash and back up to his room before the others got back...  
  
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There's only one thing that I know how to do well and I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well and that's be you, be what you're like, be like yourself.  



	38. A Problem Resolved?

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 38**  
  
Author's Note: Same stuff like all the other chapters - stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John, but he's so dull that no one would want to steal him. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so there's your warning.  
  
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_Doo doo doo doo dooo do doo dooo dooo dooo..._  
  
John made stupid beeping noises in his heads, resembling the noise made from something being sent through Morse code.  
  
_Calling all redheaded telepaths. Calling all redheaded telepaths. This is the Armless Wonder here, looking for a gorgeous red-haired telepath._  
  
He didn't have much of an idea on where to find Jean, but he figured projecting a mental cry for her would work. That is, if he was projecting. He hoped he was projecting. If he wasn't...well, it was no biggie. There was no one to know that he was being stupid in his head.  
  
_Well, there's no stinkin' manual on what to do: 'How to Project Your Mental Thoughts' by the noted Cambridge physicist, Dr. Alfred P. Ununumium P.h.d._  
  
The complete lack of replies to his mental projections told him that A) he wasn't projecting properly, or B) no one was listening.  
  
John made his way into the hallway that held the rooms of all the other students (_I finally remembered how to get here!_ he told himself triumphantly). He started knocking on every door until he finally got an answer.  
  
Sticking his head into one of the rooms close to the opposite end of the hall, he found Jean sitting on a very large bed, rubbing her feet, in the middle of a room that looked exactly like his. Except it housed only one person.  
  
"C'mon, we'll wait for him in his room," he said simply.  
  
Limping slightly, Jean followed John to the room a couple doors down, at the end of the hall, where she quickly plopped down onto the bed, and continued with the massaging of her feet. John folded his arms and leaned against the wall, biting back a yawn.  
  
"So, what'd you get off with?" Jean asked, keeping her eyes on her feet.  
  
John groaned. "Don't remind me..." he muttered to himself. Louder, he said, "The same as you, four-fold."  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Oh, but that's not all!" he said, trying to imitate some game show announcer. "I also get a week of special training sessions with Logan," he said behind a fake smile.  
  
The memory of John's little lone run of the obstacle course, and the exercising Logan had him do a day after he arrived still burned in his mind.  
  
"Double ouch," was all Jean said.  
  
_Easy for you to say, when you don't have to do it..._  
  
"Your feet hurt?" he asked.  
  
Jean looked up and gave him an 'Are You F-ing Blind?!?' sort of look.  
  
"Oh, heh, right," John murmured, looking away.  
  
_Scott should be arriving any time now, I hope._  
  
The clock on a nightstand by the bed told John that it was only 3:35. "Uh...when do you think he'll get here?" he asked needlessly. He had already answered the question himself.  
  
"Don't know. On any other day, he'd he here in just a couple more minutes. But then..."  
  
"This isn't any other day," John said for her.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Can't you like...I don't know, talk to him telepathically, or something?"  
  
"Not as far as the school. If he were here in the Institute, it'd be no problem."  
  
"Er, I don't know how that whole mind reading stuff works. Can't you like, I dunno...find out if he's here or not?"  
  
She nodded. "I'll let you know when he's here."  
  
"I hope he comes straight home. I seriously hope he doesn't go off somewhere to brood," John said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"Mmhmm," was all Jean replied with, and John didn't try to press her. She had to have been thinking the same thing.  
  
With Jean back to rubbing her feet, John slumped down into a chair, propping his feet up on a small table. Staring up at the ceiling, the young mutant stifled a yawn as he rehearsed what he'd say when Scott finally did show up. With luck, he could say what he needed to say before Scott or Jean got in a word, and God willing that happened.  
  
_Then they can make out or whatever and be happy, and I don't have to fear for my life anymore._  
  
He glanced over at Jean and hoped she'd do her part in this whole mess. That was the one part his nagging conscience reminded him of.  
  
_Just hope that she doesn't choke at the last second, or else this was all a giant waste._  
  
Pushing aside his negative thoughts, John embraced a whole new set of thoughts...that were just as negative as the ones before.  
  
_So hey, those sessions with Logan sound fun._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
_Staying cooped up inside for four weeks sounds fun, too._  
  
_I still get to go out for school, much as it pains me to say it. And besides, it's not like I had a whole list of places I wanted to go around here._  
  
_Awww, but you can't go out with your girlfriend._  
  
_Is she my girlfriend?_  
  
_I thought she was._  
  
_I don't know. I'm confused over the whole situation._  
  
_Me too._  
  
_You aren't much of a help, you know?_  
  
_You expect me to give you answers? You know, I'm just you, John. A more cynical you, but you, nonetheless._  
  
_Then why am I talking to you?_  
  
_Because I answer the questions to which you already know the answer, but don't want to admit to? You know, like that whole deal with you and Amara._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
_Jean's right - you _**are** whiny.  
  
_But wouldn't that mean that you are also whiny?_  
  
The cynical voice in his head shut up after that, which suited John just fine.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, the door to the room flung open, and John looked over to see Scott standing in the doorway, a very bewildered look on his face.  
  
John unsteadily looked over to Jean. "W...why didn't you tell me he was coming?"  
  
"I _tried_," she said in an irritate tone, "But you were off in La-La Land."  
  
"Oh..." John muttered as he felt his face heat up.  
  
Scott's face contorted, and John couldn't tell if he were trying to glare at them or frown. "What are you doing in here?" he said finally.  
  
"Well, you see," John began, getting out of the chair. But Scott stopped him before he could stand up.  
  
"Don't. Just...I'll go now," Scott said, turning around. He didn't get far either, as the door shut in his face.  
  
From the angle at which John was sitting, he could see the older boy working his jaw with his fists clenched, unsure if he should say something or simply open the door.  
  
But Jean beat him to the punch. "Scott Summers," she said in a very stern tone, "We need to talk."  
  
He turned around and smiled weakly, but didn't move away from the door. "Fine. Say whatever is you want to say."  
  
John stepped in front of Scott's path, feeling a little intimidated. Scott wasn't much taller than he was, but his body was much more muscular. And he had his laser beam eyes. John didn't doubt for a second that Scott couldn't kick his ass.  
  
_Alright. It's go time._  
  
"Scott, forget everything that happened today, up until this very moment. Absolutely everything, from when you woke up this morning to when you just came in here. Forget all of it. Now, you're going to sit down and Jean is going to tell you something very important." He ignored the frown that started to form on Scott's face, and tried to imitate Jean's stern tone from seconds ago. "She's going to tell you something very important and you're going to listen to it. I don't care if you don't want to right now, but you will be glad you heard it later. If you don't want to listen, God as my witness, I will pull off my arm and beat you over the head with it until you _do_ want to listen."  
  
John let out a very long sigh of relief..  
  
_There...that wasn't too hard._  
  
Taking a tight grip on Scott's arm, he pulled him out of the doorway and pushed him over to the recently-occupied chair. "Listen to her," he added for good measure.  
  
Looking over at Jean, he sent her a telepathic message, or he hoped so.  
  
_Alright, I got the ball in your court. It's up to you to make the basket._  
  
He didn't bother to wait for a response. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, sagging backwards against it once it was shut.  
  
He let out another very long sigh of relief before easing himself down to the floor. That had really drained him.  
  
Letting his head fall limply onto his chest, John Jashback and shut his eyes, feeling extremely content. In fact, he hadn't felt like this since the night he gave Pietro his just due.  
  
_Oooooh man. It's like a burden's been lifted off my shoulders._  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! It's Hot Lips!" exclaimed a cheery voice.  
  
John groaned involuntarily. He had wanted to avoid human contact for at least another five minutes.  
  
_Yeah, well, next time don't decide the hallway is a good place for your ass to go._  
  
In front of him crouched Jubilee, the Institute's Asian mutant who made fireworks. He found a piece of irony in that - she being an Asian and shooting fireworks. It just seemed so...clichè. He smirked at the thought.  
  
_Yeah, well, at least she's not a ninja or anything. That would _**definitely**_ be clichè._  
  
She gave him a curious look that made John realize how pretty she was.  
  
_You know...she's no eyesore. I wonder why I didn't notice that before?_  
  
_Seriously John, do you need to be thinking about girls again? Haven't they gotten you into enough crap already?_  
  
_Good point._  
  
Ignoring that she called him by one of the loving nicknames the other students had for him, John smiled back at her. "How's it goin'?"  
  
"So..." she crooned. "I heard you got in a fight with Duncan Matthews today..."  
  
"You heard right."  
  
"I also heard you skipped school. And Jean went with you."  
  
"You heard right, again."  
  
"And what did you two do together?" she asked, winking.  
  
John rolled his eyes, but decided to play along. "Oh, a little of this, and a little of that..."  
  
He had to fight hard not to laugh when she gasped, but in the end, it was a battle he lost.  
  
Jubilee's punch to the arm shut him up. Barely.  
  
"Oh come on. I'm not allowed to have fun?"  
  
She snorted. "Tell me. What did you do today?"  
  
John knocked his head against the door behind him, and he could hear the faint voices within. "Ask Jean. She's inside. With Scott," he added a second later.  
  
The girl's eyes widened and she pressed her ear up to the door.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" John spluttered, pulling her away.  
  
Her tongue sticking out at him, she said, "I couldn't hear them. What are they talking about?"  
  
John shrugged his shoulders. "With any luck, they aren't talking, but practicing CPR on each other."  
  
_But with my luck...yeah, best not to dwell on that._  
  
Jubilee grinned devilishly and nodded. She stood up and helped John do the same. "But why did you skip school?"  
  
"Would you have stayed, if all that happened to you?"  
  
"Good point," she replied.  
  
"So I'm guessing that since you're here, everyone else is, too?"  
  
The Asian girl nodded. "Amara was asking Miss Ororo where you were," she said, flashing that devilish, knowing smile again. John arched an eyebrow in response. "Jamie was, too." She made an odd face. "Him, more than anyone, and I think we all asked about you. How can you put up with him? He's so annoying!"  
  
John pressed his lips together in thought. "Why? That's a good question. Maybe because...I was him, once. I know what it's like, being the youngest, being surrounded by people older than me. I figure he could use a friend, being so different from everyone else. And besides, he's my retreat from the insanity here."  
  
It was Jubilee's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that what Amara's for?"  
  
"Er...I uh...suppose so. But we've been uh...dating...for a couple days, if you can even call it dating!"  
  
"I can see what you mean. But I think you two look cute together."  
  
On the inside, John grinned evilly. A great idea had hit him, and he deserved to have a little fun today. Leaning his face very close to hers, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. He locked his eyes with hers, and brought his other hand up under her chin, tilting it upwards. "And you and I wouldn't look good together?" he said at last.  
  
He heard and felt her breathe in sharply, and watched the blood heat her cheeks. It took a great amount of willpower to maintain his composure, simply smiling at her, but on the inside, he was laughing hysterically. Keeping his gaze locked with hers for a moment longer, he leaned in a bit closer before apruptly pulling away. Turning on his heel, he headed off down the hall and eventually, the stairs, whistling softly to himself, leaving a very confused Jubilee behind.  
  
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"Salad _after_ steak? I'd hate to say this twice in one meal, but...horse's ass."  
  
Just so you know, Ununumium is a real element on the Periodic Table.  



	39. Dreams of Black

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 39**  
  
Author's Note: Same stuff like all the other chapters - stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John, but he's so dull that no one would want to steal him. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so there's your warning.  
  
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"JOHN!!!!"  
  
Ten seconds ago, John Jashback had been walking along, whistling a merry little tune.  
  
Ten seconds ago, John Jashback had been standing upright.  
  
Ten seconds ago, John Jashback been feeling very good.  
  
Of course, it was at the expense of another person, but he was willing to overlook that decidedly minor detail.  
  
But ten seconds ago was long gone.  
  
John had been hit by a tornado, or what felt like a tornado.  
  
He had little warning of it's presence, and the warning came far too late. He was caught in the path of the storm with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.  
  
Which was how he found himself flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the word 'confused' barely managing to capture how he felt.  
  
"JOHN!!!!"  
  
Blinking hard, a frowning face came into John's field of vision.  
  
Correction, it was an upside smile, which looked like a frown to John. Which didn't help any.   
"Jamie," John said very calmly, despite his overwhelming confusion. "What just happened?"  
  
The face overhead, Jamie Madrox's face to be specific, changed the upside-down smile turned into an upside-down frown. Or something like that. "I wish I was in high school," the young mutant said.  
  
"Huh?" John croaked out. He didn't bother to try and get up. He was content with just laying on the ground.  
  
Jamie poked him in the forehead. "I heard you had _another_ fight today. And you skipped school! Man, you do all the fun stuff! If we went to the same school, that would be so awesome, cause then I could watch you beat people up and stuff."  
  
John blinked hard again, suppressing his sigh. Jamie thought what he did was _fun_?! The boy had to be on crack!  
  
_Wait, did he say he could watch me beat people up? He does know that I only actually won one fight, and that was because I got the hell out of there before Pietro could do anything... Or I hope he knows._  
  
John managed a weak smile. "Uh...yeah. That'd be uh...great."  
  
The upside-down smile/frown returned to Jamie's lips.  
  
"Um. Is there uh, any reason why you tackled me, Jamie?" John was slowly regaining his senses, and had managed to patch together that the tornado was Jamie.  
  
His question was laughed at.  
  
Another face appeared in John's view. A pale face, higher up than Jamie's. And a body accompanied it.  
  
"Yah know, a sofa is much comfortable than the floor," a voice said in a mocking tone.  
  
_Why, oh why wasn't she the one who tackled me?_  
  
John cracked another weak smile. "Cheerful as usual, aren't we?"  
  
Rogue smirked back down at him. "Ah heard you had a busy day," she drawled.  
  
Inside, John groaned. Who _didn't_ know? Everyone probably knew, with his luck. But...  
  
_I'm tired of letting this crap get me down. I can be cool about it. I'm a cucumber, as in 'cool as.' Yeah._  
  
Ignoring the fact that he sounded like an idiot to himself, John grinned, big and bright.  
  
"Busy? Nah. I wouldn't call it busy. In fact, nothing really happened today. Nothing important, at least." John slowly made his way back onto his feet, never taking his eyes off Rogue. He wore an amused smile on his face that was borderline indolent. He was lucky she didn't smack him. "Nothing at all."  
  
Rogue opened her mouth but quickly shut it, as if she decided at the last second to not say what she intended. Shaking her head, she silently walked away. John grinned to her back until she had turned the corner, out of his sight.  
  
John turned and looked down at Jamie. "Trust me, bud. You don't want to go to school with me. I live a boring life. All this crazy stuff is a thing of the past. I'm taking a new lease on life, Jamie, my friend. I'm going to live a normal life, or as much as my mutation will allow. No more crazy stuff."  
  
Jamie just shook his head and walked away.  
  
"Uh...Jamie...uh...I'm serious," he said to the boy's retreating back. "No more crazy stuff!"  
  
_I don't think he believes me._  
  
_That makes two of us._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
He slunk his way down the stairs and into the mansion foyer where a majority of the other students were talking. A majority of the male students immediately crowded around him.  
  
"Man, I heard you got into another fight!" exclaimed Ray.  
  
"Yeah, Gimpy. You've got guts, getting into so many fights," Bobby said on top of him.  
  
"Yo man, me and Kurt saw the fight. That punk had no right to get all worked up over nothing!" Evan said.  
  
"Ja!" Kurt said. "Ve were going to come help you, but I zink the fight was ovah before we got there."  
  
"Hey, we should start calling him Rocky, since he gets in so many fights!" shouted Roberto.  
  
_Great. **Another** nickname for me?_  
  
"Yeah! Rocky!" Bobby started dancing back and forth, punching the air in front of him. John heard someone start to hum that stupid patriotic-sounding theme from the movie.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" John yelled, waving his arms in an effort to silence the others. "You guys can just calm down. The way you act, you make it seem like you lead boring lives. Well, before anyone gets any wild ideas, I'm going to set this to you straight - that wasn't a fight. Hell, none of my supposed 'fights'...," he said, making little quotation marks with his fingers,"...were real fights. I either got my ass kicked, or I ran away. If you think anything else happened, you're delusional. And besides, I'm grounded for about the next month, so...yeah. No more fights for me."  
  
Pushing his way through the circle that had formed around him, John ignored all the questions and comments and made his way to the kitchen. As was the norm for the day, he was conversing with himself in his mind.  
  
_You know, we do that alot._  
  
_What do you mean, 'we?' We're the same person._  
  
_Right, right. But for simplicity's sake, we're two seperate entities, since you don't seem to like me._  
  
_Right. And we do do that alot._  
  
_But not anymore, right?_  
  
_Sure, if I can manage to stay out of trouble._  
  
**********  
  
"So how was your day?" John asked, rooting through the refrigerator.  
  
There was only one other person in the kitchen with John - he forced the others to leave. They seemed kind of easy to order around, especially considering the arsenal of powers they had. Maybe the ability to rip off his own arms was more intimidating than John thought...  
  
"Downright boring next to yours," a voice replied.  
  
John poked his head out from inside the appliance long enough to flash a grin over to Amara, who was seated on a nearby countertop.  
  
"Well, compared to everything that's happened since coming here, I'd say today was pretty boring."  
  
She only snorted in reply.  
  
"Come on," John said, pulling out a soda and setting it aside. "You want something?" She shook her head and he dove back inside. "Come on," he repeated, "You can't tell me with all the...unique..." Unique was better than _screwy_, he decided "...With all the unique things people can do here, that they live boring, normal teenage lives? What I do has to pale in comparison."  
  
"Maybe..." Amara mused, "But you certainly lead a more interesting life than me."  
  
John pulled himself out from the radiating cold of the food storage device and leaned on the door, looking at his pseudo-girlfriend. "You're going to sit there and tell me that you, Amara...er, sorry, I forgot your last name."  
  
"Aquilla," she said for him, a hint of amusement in her voice.  
  
"Right, right," John said, trying not to blush. "You're going to tell me that you, Amara Aquilla, a beautiful mutant teenage girl who can envelope her body in fire lives a normal life?"  
  
She blushed enough to show through her bronze-tinted skin and looked down at the countertop.  
  
"Exactly," John said, nodding to himself. He set about again, digging for food.  
  
He grunted after finding nothing, and shut the door. Taking his soda, he hoisted himself up next to Amara and took a drink. "You wanna tell me some of the crazy stuff you've done before?"  
  
She blushed again, and shook her head.  
  
"C'mon..." John cooed, leaning himself closer to her. "You can trust me. I won't tell anyone."  
  
She shook her head much more fiercely.  
  
"Oh, why not? Haven't I endured enough humiliation to have gained enough of your trust? I mean, Jesus, I walked through the Institute in nothing but my boxers because I was trying to put out a fire." If that didn't work, he play the 'Fire That You Started' card.  
  
She giggled, covering her face with a hand. "I wish I could have seen that," she said, once her laughter subsided.  
  
"I can keep naming off stuff if you want."  
  
"It's ok. I'll tell you."  
  
John smiled smugly.  
  
And so she recanted a story about something quite crazy that she'd done, along with some of the other girls in the Institute. She had only said that much when the dirty thoughts had started to surface in John's mind. Of course, it was nothing like what his perverted, hormone-driven imagination had conjured up. But it did involve...  
  
Amara, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, and the girl Boom Boom who defected to the Brotherhood had made a temporary career as superheroines. Wearing black leather outfits, no less. Fighting crime and looking _damn good_ while doing it? There was **nothing** John could say or do to top that.  
  
"Do you...do you still have the...uh...uh...y'know..." John said hoarsely.  
  
Her face was beet red, and John hoped her powers wouldn't accidentally kick in. He couldn't afford to lose another pair of clothes fighting a fire.  
  
"I still have it..." she said softly.  
  
His heart stopped. John opened his mouth to say something, but he had forgotten how to speak. Brain turned to mush, he couldn't think of anything but **black leather**.  
  
"Are you happy now?" Amara said, breaking the growing silence, not that John noticed.  
  
_More than you ever know..._  
  
But out loud, he said, "I, uh....Yes. I am."  
  
She didn't reply.  
  
"Sorry," he apologized a moment later. "I didn't mean to embarrass you like that."  
  
"It's ok... I don't regret it, telling you or actually doing it. It felt good, using our powers to help people."  
  
John tried to imagine himself using his...power to help people. 'In other news, a bank robbery was thwarted today when a young man subdued the robber by beating him over the head with his detached arm.'  
  
But in spite of that, he nodded. "It was a good thing, doing what you did. But the uh...were the..._uniforms_ necessary?"  
  
She laughed, which he was very thankful for. It meant she was growing more comfortable, either with him, or from telling him. "No, I don't think so, but... They did look really cool."  
  
_Oh, I bet they did._  
  
"Do you...do you think, that maybe, I dunno...one day...you'll...show it to me?"  
  
Her face started to turn crimson again, but she suddenly smiled knowingly, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "That depends. What are **you** willing to do in return?"  
  
John very nearly sank to his knees and shouted "ANYTHING!" But he stopped himself. He would do anything to see her in black leather, or Kitty or Jean or Rogue. The thought of all four of them dressed like that...it was enough to make a man go insane.  
  
But he caught himself before he mad a bigger fool of himself. "Erm...I don't think I should answer that... Can we talk about something more serious right now?"  
  
Her face took on a worried look. "What is it?"  
  
"Well...it's us. I mean, are you and me, you know, going steady or something? Or is this like a casual thing?"  
  
"I don't know. What do you want it to be?"  
  
He shrugged. "I like you alot," _Despite what the nagging voice says,_ "But...I'm still very new here, and we still don't know each other very well."  
  
"That's true. There's still alot we don't know about each other."  
  
"Ok...then...I guess we're just friends. If we want to make it something more later, then...we can talk then, right?"  
  
She returned his smile with one of her own. It almost made John regret saying what he just said.  
  
"I guess this means I don't get to see that outfit, huh?"  
  
She shook her head. "Sorry," she said sweetly. "Maybe later.... Well, I've got homework to go do, so...I'll see you around?"  
  
John nodded, and watched her get up and leave the room. He leaned backwards in his chair and sighed.  
  
_Well...that wasn't too hard, was it?_  
  
_No, I guess not._  
  
_So tell me...are you going to go looking for a new girlfriend?_  
  
_You know the answer to that. I'm better off going solo, at least for now. I think romantic entanglements can wait till later._  
  
_Uh-huh. You say that now, but we'll see how long that attitude lasts in a mansion of pretty girls._  
  
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	40. How Does This Thing Work?

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 40**  
  
Author's Note: Same stuff like all the other chapters - stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John, but he's so dull that no one would want to steal him. Oh, and this has infrequent cuss words, so there's your warning.  
  
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_I did the right thing, breaking it off with Amara. I think._  
  
_I think it was for the best, even if we/I don't get to see her in black leather._  
  
_Are you thinking what I'm thinking?_  
  
_Of course I am! We're the same person._  
  
_Oh right. Sorry._  
  
_But yeah. It's a damn shame, too. You/I should have broken up **after** you saw her in the leather._  
  
_Well, I could always try Jean. And let Scott kill me._  
  
_Or Kitty. But Lance would probably kill me._  
  
_And Rogue? She'd kick my ass._  
  
_Well...what about that other girl...? That Boom Boom one._  
  
_I dunno. I've never seen her before. Gonna have to get someone to point her out to me._  
  
_Pfft. Like you'd ask her? What happened to your whole 'stay out of trouble' decision?_  
  
_Shut up._  
  
John soiled bed-sheets were safely in the rinse cycle at the moment, and in an hour, all evidence of his...dream would be gone.  
  
_Hmm. Which would I rather have? Wet dreams that cause me grief, or weird dreams involving death and love?_  
  
The answer to that was pretty obvious to John. He nodded his head in agreement and quietly strolled out of the laundry room.  
  
His looked down at his arms and frowned. Not because they could fall off. But because he lacked any real control over them.  
  
John was gradually coming to terms with his mutation. If he didn't, he was sure it was have consumed him from the inside. It was something that happened, and he would just have to suck it up and move along in life.  
  
Oh sure, they didn't just fall off at the drop of a hat. If they did, he wouldn't have been able to go anywhere in public. The risk would be too great.  
  
The thing that really bummed him about his arms were...well, it was rather simple for them to become detached. Too much weight being supported on them would cause them to fall off. Too much pressed applied where the limb met the shoulder could make them fall off. If someone tugged too hard on his arms, foomph, off it goes.  
  
_And I bet the Professor's whole theory on my mutation coming so late means that I'll never have any control over how they fall off. That is, if I were ever capable of controlling that._  
  
But...it was something he'd just have to take in stride. It just meant he could probably never lift anything too heavy.  
  
At about that time, little Jamie Madrox came sauntering into the room, hands in his pockets, and grinning like a Cheshire cat.  
  
John arched and eyebrow and cracked a smile. "And what have you been up to, Private?"  
  
"Nothing really..."  
  
And then John noticed the white that crept it's way around the wrist of one of Jamie's hands.  
  
"Oh no. Don't tell me you brought..."  
  
At a speed that had to have broken the speed of light, a white sock with two drawn-on eyes were staring John in the face.  
  
"Hey, hey, Mr. Gimpy! It's me, Mister Happy Happ-rmph.."  
  
John squeezed his hand tighter around Jamie's sock-covered hand, causing the younger boy to yelp in pain.  
  
Eyebrow arched again, John coolly regarded Jamie. "No," he said simply.  
  
Jamie nodded numbly.  
  
Releasing his grip, John watched with amusement as Jamie yanked off the sock and gingerly touched his hand, wincing softly.  
  
"You're no fun," Jamie complained.  
  
"Not true," John said, holding up a hand. "I just don't want to talk to a sock."  
  
Jamie stuck his tongue out at him. "I'm bored. Let's go do something."  
  
"Me too. Wanna go furdgnoming?"  
  
"Huh? Furd-what?"  
  
"I said **basketball**. Let's go play basketball."  
  
**********  
  
"So...what was it like?"  
  
"What was what like?"  
  
"When it first happened," Jamie said, tossing the ball to John.  
  
"When what happened?" He took a shot...and missed. He never claimed to be very good. Hell, he didn't even know why he was playing. He was no good, and didn't have a particular liking for the sport.  
  
"When your powers first came out."  
  
"Oh." John bent over and picked up the ball, but held it in his hands.  
  
"John?"  
  
"I'm still here," he said softly, studying the ball. Well, he wasn't really. He was looking at it, but he seemed to see through it, looking at something far away.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want." Jamie walked up next to him and see a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
  
John looked up and smiled weakly. "Thanks, but it's ok. It wasn't anything particularly awful. It's just..." He took a deep breath. "It isn't every day that you have a car accident, lose an arm, then it grows back, and you find out you can repeat the process again, as many times as you want."  
  
"It was hard, huh?"  
  
"Hard... Hard is an understatement. There's no guidebook for amputees, telling them what to do when your limb comes back, with the ability to fall off again." He spoke a little more harshly than he intended. He looked up to Jamie and ruffled the boy's hair. "Sorry. I'm sure the last thing you want is to listen to me complain."  
  
Jamie shook his head. "It's ok. I think that's why I like you so much. You're...so much more different than the rest of us." John was somewhat taken aback. As young as the boy was, he was speaking like someone three times his elder. "I think that's why the others act the way they do around you. No one here has a power like yours... And I think that makes you a better person."  
  
John arched an eyebrow. "If you say so."  
  
Snatching the ball from his hands, Jamie nodded. "It's true. Dangit," he added a second later, when his shot missed.  
  
"Hey Jamie?"  
  
The younger mutant looked back at John, who was still standing in the spot that he had retrieved the ball from, minutes ago. "Yeah?"  
  
"How do you do it?"  
  
"How do I do what?"  
  
"Manage to go to school and keep your power in check? I mean, all you have to do is fall over, and wam, you've got your own hockey team."  
  
Jamie laughed long at that, and John probably guessed it was from the boy daydreaming about he and his Multiples being their own sports team. He eventually walked back over to John and held out his arm. "This is how I do it."  
  
"Um. I don't see anything. I see...skin...a shirt sleeve...and a watch."  
  
"It's the watch."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's the watch."  
  
"Uh. The watch keeps your power under control?"  
  
The boy nodded.  
  
"But how?"  
  
"You got me. I just know that I put it on, push a button, and faster than you can say 'Watanabe,' my powers are...under control. Ooh, that reminds me. He pushed a button on the watch and slid it off his wrist." Upon seeing John's questioning look, he held it up to him. "It takes a while to recharge, so I'm only supposed to wear it at school."  
  
John nodded approvingly. "That's...pretty nifty. Where can I get me one of those?"  
  
"Ask the Professor. He can get Forge to make you one."  
  
"Uh. Forge?"  
  
Jamie grinned. "He's another mutant like us, but he doesn't like here. He's super-smart, and talks weird. The Professor will tell you." He handed John the ball. "You're up."  
  
**********  
  
"If you won't tell me _how_ you do it, will you at least tell me what it's like?"  
  
"What's what like?"  
  
"You know...making a new arm."  
  
John gave a start and looked over at Jamie, who was looking back him, patiently awaiting an answer. The two had come back inside and staked out a spot in front of the television in the living room.  
  
"Er...well...I don't know how to explain it. I just kind of do it."  
  
Jamie wasn't very pleased with the answer, as proven by his foul expression.  
  
"Alright, fine. It's...weird. It's like...trying to clench a fist you don't have."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's... It's like... Oh! I got it!" _Of course, I think I may regret saying this..._ "I think the best way to describe it is...it's like going to the bathroom."  
  
Jamie stared at him with a blank look for a moment. And then realization set in.  
  
Five minutes, many tears, and a few painful coughs later, Jamie had finally stopped laughing. Meanwhile, John stared down at his lap, trying to ignore the intense heat in his face.  
  
"H..hey John?"  
  
John grunted in response.  
  
"Uh. If it's like...going to the bathroom, then uh...hehehe...what's to stop you from...y'know, doing _it_ when you make the arm come back?"  
  
If John had been embarrassed before, that didn't come close to matching how he now felt.  
  
"Jamie..." he finally croaked out. "I really don't want to think about that..." The thought had never really occurred to him. But now that Jamie mentioned it... It sent a shiver down his spine.  
  
Of course, that brought on a new onslaught of laughter from Jamie.  
  
John shook his head and left the room.  
  
"Hey, wait for me!"  
  
**********  
  
The remainder of the evening was rather anti-climactic, considering John's day. Jamie helped him put his clean sheets back onto the bed. If he suspected anything, he didn't let on. Of course, the rational voice in John's head told him that there was no way he, or anyone, could have known, but he was paranoid, regardless. It was part of the package when living in such a place.  
  
Dinner was rather uneventful. Scott and Jean were there, but sat apart, and said nothing. No one tried to press them into speaking. John managed to stay out of the limelight of the mealtime conversation, but he found mild enjoyment in the awkward glances that Jubilee shot in his direction. There was only one real problem for him during the whole meal, and that was trying to not imagine what the half the girls looked like in black leather. It wasn't the first time that he cursed living with not one, but two telepaths. Life could play sick jokes on you like that, sometimes.  
  
After dinner, John spoke with the Professor about getting something similar to Jamie's watch, and he approved of the idea, and seemed a little surprised that John had thought of the idea. Or maybe it was because he hadn't thought of the idea, himself. John tried to talk about not participating in anymore Danger Room sessions, but the Professor merely told him that they'd discuss it on a later date. Which, when translated from the adult language, it meant the equivalent of 'not bloody likely.'  
  
John finally managed to convince Jamie to leave him be, that he was tired and wanted sleep. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, John found himself smiling in spite of everything that happened during that day. He couldn't quite explain it to himself, and he didn't try to. When life gives you lemons, you've just got to make lemonade, and roll with the punches when they come flying at you.  
  
_Besides, tomorrow is another day, a clean slate. Here's to hoping it'll be normal, for once.__  
  
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_


	41. Girls

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 41**  
  
Author's Note: I'd hope by the forty-first chapter that you know this already - stuff in _italics_ are thoughts and I love you all. Oh, and I'm so so sorry for long time it took me to post this. I really apologize for making you wait.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John. Oh, and I don't even know if this goes here, but if you don't like bad words, just...pretend they're something different.  
  
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John stifled a yawn into his hand, and lazily gazed out the window beside him. It was bright outside, the sun radiating it's golden heat onto the world below. John wished he were outside in it.  
  
_But no, I'm stuck in here, listening to whatever it is the teacher is talking about._  
  
John looked over at the teacher in question. What was _she_ talking about? He heard her speak, drone on in an over-rehearsed tone, but the words made no sense. But most of the blame for that went to John's inability to pay attention at that moment in time. It wasn't the teacher's fault, not really. His eyes drifted back to the window and the view outside.  
  
The window was why he couldn't pay attention. Well, not the window exactly, but what he saw through the window. He could see the school's football field, and beside it, the track, and a row of scaffolding, marking the construction of some new building. Or maybe for the repairing of a building. John wasn't quite sure, but he really didn't care. It took more than a football field and metal poles and plywood to catch his attention (although his arms could manage to do that).  
  
Watching cheerleaders practice was always a favorite past-time for John. Hell, it's a favorite for any guy. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't getting an education for something other than a shallow, superficial teenage reason. But for the life of him, he couldn't.  
  
It was about a month ago that John Jashback came to Bayville, to live in the Xavier Institute with other mutants like himself. He was slowly starting to fit in with the others, and as a whole, they stopped bothering him so much. The euphoria of his being new was probably wearing off from the others.  
  
He had just been released from his four weeks of being grounded, not that it made much of a difference to him. He still didn't know where anything was in town. He didn't have to attend Danger Room sessions anymore, but he still had to exercise and such, which made sense to him. He had gotten his special watch from the Professor a week before, and it made him feel more comfortable at school. None one would end up accidentally pulling pulling off his arm. Of course, everyone who knew of his curse was always rather cautious around him. Well, except maybe the guys in the Brotherhood, but John had the slinking idea they were still scared of him. Well, maybe scared was too strong a word. 'Wary' seemed more like it. He made a point to say hello to them, whenever he'd pass them in the hall, or see them skulking about. Perhaps, he told himself, if he was civil around them, they wouldn't mess with him, helping his whole 'staying out of trouble' thing work out.  
  
"I'm sorry if I seem to be boring you, Mister Jashback," a shrill voice said, shattering his relative serenity and train of thought.  
  
John wrenched his eyes from the glorious sight outside and over to the wrinkled face of his -subject- teacher, one Mrs. Brinkley. He studied her gruesome facial features for a moment - it was hard not to, as she had pushed her face into his. She had seen better days, as was plainly obvious from the lines and creases in her forehead and cheeks. John put her age in the mid-fifties, but he wouldn't have been surprised if she were ten years older. She had a rather crabby disposition to her, like she hated young people and her job. John was pretty sure that she had liked teaching at one point in her life, but she only stuck around now because she was close to retirement.  
  
He managed to crack a weak smile before jerking a thumb at something random outside the window. "I'm sorry. It's just...such a nice day out..."  
  
Mrs. Brinkley made a 'humph' of a snort and turned her head away, before continuing with her lecturing about whatever she was trying to teach, slowly walking up and down the rows of students. John still didn't know what it was that she was saying; he barely remembered what class he was in.  
  
From the corner of his eye, John caught a brief flicker of movement. He glanced over to see a girl in the row next to him, stifling a giggle behind her hand, her eyes cast in his direction. Her face went crimson when she caught John looking at her, and she quickly turned away, much to his amusement. The girl carefully stared at the top of her desk, eyes glued to it, and she brought up a hand to obstruct John's view of her face. Or maybe she was just trying to get John to disappear from her sight.  
  
He remembered her name as Amber, because well, as sad as it was, John couldn't forget a pretty girl's name. He'd never spoken a word to her, but he heard her name during the roll call one day, and never forgot. She was, after all, very attractive, with long, red-brown hair. He thought the hair made her look even better.  
  
John sat up a little more straight in his seat, and smiled to himself. A beautiful girl, getting flustered because he looked at her? That was better than watching cheerleaders practice any day! Well...almost any day.  
  
_You know, she just might be embarrassed that you caught her laughing at you._  
  
He looked back over at her, and caught her sneaking a look back at him. Her cheeks went red again, and the hand blocked her face again. John beamed brightly inward, really not caring what his nagging conscience said.  
  
John feigned paying attention for the rest of the period, if only to keep the teacher off his back. He paid less attention to the outside, it's only redeeming quality being that it was freedom. His real attention was directed to ensuring that he kept looking at the girl next to him, making the glances short, a knowing smile across his lips.  
  
When the harmonic ringing of the bell marked the end of the class period, John watched as Amber was the first one up and out of her desk, and she bolted out the door, but not before turning back long enough to smile at John. It made joy blossom through his body.  
  
He had never been a huge hit with the ladies, but it was almost always due to him being shy around them, and nervous and timid. He almost always made himself the fool around the opposite sex, so he tried to steer clear of them altogether. John always figured that could help him survive his teenage years, because no matter what anyone says, the opinion of your schoolmates _does_ matter to you, if only because you see them five days a week, eight hours a day, nine months out of the year. Of course, that was before he had come to the Institute. Oh, he still generally felt the same now around girls, but he was a little less worrisome and a little more brazen in his behavior.  
  
The thought that he could potentially date a non-mutant girl was thrilling to John, if only it helped him retain what little normalcy a guy who had arms that fell off could have. But then he always thought back to the day that Jean had sort of opened up to him, and he felt a little selfish for thinking that.  
  
Before he became lost in his head again, John climbed into the line of people slowly snaking it's way into the hall, and almost like floating on air, he put aside disgruntled thoughts on the slowness of his fellow students and happily made his way to his locker.  
  
As he ambled his way down the hall, he passed the lurking Brotherhood members, as he often did, as one of their particular hang-outs was close to his locker. The big guy, the Blob, and the little crouching guy, the Toad, along with Lance and Pietro were leaning against a wall, sending death glares to anyone who merely looked in their direction. Walking by, John nodded to them and simply said, "Sup guys." He didn't wait for an answer - he never did. If they wanted to really talk to him, they'd make a move to do it. Something hit John a moment later; they were standing almost directly across from his intended destination.  
  
Side-stepping a couple who decided to make out in the middle of the hall, John stopped in the middle of a long row of lockers, all painted an ugly blue-green color. Wondering what the architects were thinking when they chose the paint, he crouched down to his bottom locker, and fumbled with the dial, before finally entering his combination. John's shoulders stiffened, almost as if knowing that the Brotherhood guys were staring at him. Tossing in his book from the previous class, he pulled out another and unfolded himself, stretching a little once he was finally upright. Kicking his locker door shut, John spun on his heel and...  
  
A breath smelling of cinnamon hit John, square in the nose, and for a brief moment, he was swimming in a sea of cinna-scented water. He blinked hard, letting his eyes come back into focus.  
  
The first thing he really noticed was pink. Bright, powdery pink. Then he saw the skin, a cheek to be exact, on which the pink rested. His perspective shifted backwards, and he saw a face. A female face. One that was vaguely familiar.  
  
_That's right! The girl with the ass, just before Lance pummeled me into submission. You remember? That great first day of school._  
  
Then suddenly, he saw red. Literally. Well, more of a light red. It took John a moment to realize that it was gum. He flinched slightly from the loud *SMACK* when it popped. The shattered fragments of flavored rubber were pulled backwards by a pair of big, luscious, curvaceous lips.  
  
A pair of eyes gave John a quick once-over, and those same lips turned into a half-sneer. "So you're the new guy I've been hearing so much about," said a voice. It was hard for John to explain it's tone...it was a little shrilly, and sort of whiny, teetering on the edge of sounding annoying. And it had a hint of permanent amusement to it.  
  
"Um. What?" _Oh yes, that was good. Shut up._  
  
John's field of vision seemed to pull back, and he got his first good look at the girl. She was moderately attractive, her beauty marred by her overuse of makeup and her ghastly hairstyle. The rest of her...she had a killer body; nothing but curves.  
  
The half-sneer turned into a full-fledged grin. "You're kinda cute, I guess. I can see what Amara saw in you." She brought a hand up under his chin for a second, tilting his head down an inch, before laughing softly.  
  
Meanwhile, John stood, silent and confused.  
  
"Oh right!" she exclaimed. "I was supposed to do something to you." Her hands came up and took hold of John's left arm, and pulled hard.  
  
John yanked his arm out of her hands and rubbed his shoulder. "What the hell was that for?" he said angrily, his confusion swallowed by anger.  
  
She tossed her head and John barely caught what she murmured, "That's what I get for listening to the Brainless Boys..." Louder, she said, "Sorry 'bout that. Just checking something. See ya around, cutie." She turned and walked away, swaying her hips as she did so. Needless to say, John watched her until she was out of sight.  
  
Shaking his head in a mixture of amazement and amusement, John eyes slid back over to the Brotherhood guys, who were staring back at him, jaws to the floor. Lance regained his composure before the others, and elbowed the big guy, gesturing him to go in John's direction. He made his way over to John, a worried look on his face.  
  
"Uh...how come your uh...your uh...you know, arm didn't come off?" He seemed like a nervous wreck, and idly twisted a button on his oversized overalls. He didn't even look at John, choosing to stare intently at the stucco lining where the wall met the ceiling.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What he means to say, is how come your arm didn't come off, yo?"  
  
John looked over at the frog boy in confusion, who had literally hopped over to them.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I dunno. Cause it's freaky. In a cool kind of way."  
  
John shook his head. "You're a confusing bunch, you know that?" _Oh, like it takes a lot to confuse you/me... Shut up._  
  
The frog boy nodded, before grinning, revealing sickly green teeth. "We're like that." He stuck out his hand. "I figure since we pulled your arm off and all, and you say 'hello' to us, that I owe you my name. I'm Todd, and this wanna-be house appraiser is Fred." He nudged the much larger boy, who looked down at the two of them and smiled weakly, but didn't say anything, so the frog boy...er, Todd, continued, "We're the Brotherhood - mutants, like you. Of course, you knew that already. Else I don't think you'd be so buddy-buddy with the X-Geeks."  
  
John grasped his hand and shook it, choosing to ignore the loving nickname he referred to the others as. "Yeah, I knew all that before I met you. I'm John, the guy who's arm comes off. Arms, to be exact. I'm the guy who got his ass kicked by Lance and Pietro. And uh...an X-Geek..."  
  
Todd grinned again, his lips peeling back to once again reveal those vile teeth. John wondered if he'd ever heard of a toothbrush. "Yah, but you don't hold any grudges over it. Besides, you made Pietro scream like a girl, and that's somethin' he's never gonna stop hearing." He paused long enough to look over his shoulder and snicker, and then continued. "And you got in a fight with that jerk, Duncan. That makes you a decent fella in my book, and it's the same with Fred here, once he decides to talk." He leaned in close to John, who fought with all his willpower to not recoil from the boy's stench, and whispered, "Just don't laugh at him, and he's a good guy." He stepped backwards, much to John's relief. He fought hard to maintain his composure.  
  
John looked up at the big guy, no, Fred, who managed to smile weakly, breaking the big 'tough guy' aura that he naturally emanated. John studied his garish mohawk for a moment, while wondering who had to sew together such large overalls, while generally getting a feel on the much larger boy's personality. On a first glance, he looked slow, but a second, more careful look made you realize that he was someone you didn't want to piss off. Hell, John had first-hand knowledge of that. Fred _did_ slam him into the lockers, after all.  
  
"Oh yeah," John said, coming back into reality a little. He held up an arm and pointed to the watch. "This is why my arm didn't come off," he whispered. Todd didn't seem to notice, but John sure as hell did - they were still in a very much crowded hallway. But from the noise and general buzz of people talking and moving and concentrating on other things, John was pretty sure no one could have heard them. But he didn't exactly want to take chances.  
  
Eyeing him warily, Todd slipped a grimy hand around the wrist of John's right arm, and gave it a sharp tug.  
  
As if on an amusement park ride, John's face lunged forward to the ground, and abruptly stopped, and jerked back upright.  
  
John snatched his arm back out of Todd's grip, and rubbed his shoulder. "Jesus Christ, is everyone going to friggin' do that to me, today?"   
  
"Eh heh heh..." Todd snickered. "Sorry. That girl before...that was Tabitha. She's Brotherhood too...and a dirty klepto, even for our standards!" His tone implied that there was some hostility about that. John was too...confused/frightened/hardened to open up that can of worms.  
  
"Y..yeah... I kinda pieced that together. Uh....what does she do?"  
  
"Trust me, bro. You...you don't want to know."  
  
John laughed at his little rhyme, but he didn't think Todd caught it.  
  
And overhead, the bell rang out it's shrilly call.  
  
"Shit, I'm late to class!"  
  
It was Todd's turn to laugh, and he finally said, "Oh yeah. X-Geek to the core..."  
  
John shook his head, still confused. He bid Todd and Silent Fred a hasty goodbye and sprinted off to class.  
  
The day had gone from...as normal as he could muster, to good, and then to...surreal. He met Tabitha, and the name tingled a memory in the back of his mind - black leather. He grinned as he ran to class, thinking about her shapely body concealed in the somber-tinted rawhide suit.  
  
Okay, so maybe the day hadn't gone to complete hell and a hand basket...  
  
In a way, John had made friends with the Brotherhood...and all it really cost him was a pair of sore shoulder blades; a fair trade he decided, when compared to the alternatives, the two biggest ones being Pietro kicking his ass so quickly that John wouldn't be able to fight back, or Fred pulling off his limbs that lacked the ability to regenerate...  
  
But luckily, John had prevented such a scenario from happening...well, there was nothing he could do about Pietro, but he pushed it out of his mind. It would only make his day worse. But it was already screwy in the first place.  
  
_Just another typical day, I guess. A typical day..._  
  
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Alright, so the chapter was a little weird, and I'm so sorry for making you wait so long for it. I hope this makes up for the long wait. Again, I'm sorry about that. I'll try to quicken the pace, really.  



	42. Multiplication

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 42**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. You know that by now, I think.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John. Oh, and I don't even know if this goes here, but if you don't like bad words, just...pretend they're something different.  
  
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School ended as slowly and as dull as it had begun. The ride home was boring too, John and Jamie crammed in the back of the big van that drove him and the younger students around. Oh, of course they had to share the seat with a couple others, and at that particular moment in time, it was Sam and Ray, but the two were busy leaning forward to talk with Bobby and Roberto, who were happily engaged in either teasing or hitting on Amara, Jubilee, and Rahne. The trio seemed to take it all in stride, teasing and flirting in return. That was the typical routine of the ride home from school. As far as John could tell, it was always like that. He smiled on the inside, amused at how easily he had begun to fit into the routine, not just during the ride home, but of the Institute.  
  
In all fairness, he actually had things pretty easy, especially when compared to the others. He still attended Danger Room sessions, but like Jamie, he spent most of his time in the control room, watching the others and learning the basic logistics of how it ran. He had been surprised to learn that Jamie could run the Danger Room so well, and he was probably the most skilled student in the mansion, just behind Scott (who, John noted, seemed to know everything, though how, he couldn't fathom). John would laugh, watching Jamie run such intense sessions for others, enough to keep them on their toes, but not to the point that it was endangering their lives, because the boy would do so with such a devilish grin on his face. He supposed it was the younger mutant's way of getting back at the others, who teased him because of his age.  
  
His biological clock quickly adjusted to waking up early, and falling asleep early, and he took naps as often as he could. His body was getting used to fact that his physical activity had nearly quadrupled since he had come, but that he didn't mind. He was looking better, feeling better, and of course, all the exercising meant that he could check out Rogue when she was all hot and sweaty...  
  
Jamie nudged John in the arm. "Did you hear what I just said?"  
  
John blinked hard and looked down at the boy. "Sorry. I'm in my own little world. Mind saying it again?"  
  
_You mean your own little 'sexual fantasy' world?_  
  
_Shut up.... And yes._  
  
The boy opened his mouth, but never got a word out.  
  
"You can bore him later, Jamie," Bobby said, jumping over the seat, and squirming himself in between the two J-named mutants. "So are you going to the dance?" he asked, poking John in the chest.  
  
"Dance? What dance?" he replied, rubbing the area where he had been jabbed.  
  
"The dance at the old folk's home, of course." Upon seeing John's confused look, the ice-making mutant rolled his eyes. "The Sadie Hawkins Dance...you know, at school..."  
  
John shook his head. He knew nothing about a dance.  
  
_Maybe you should pay more attention in school, then.  
  
Now why would I want to go and do that?  
  
Hm. Good point. Hey, we finally found something we actually agree on!_  
  
John ignored the sheer absurdity of his last thought, and spoke before started to creep out Bobby with his sudden silence. Besides, the boy was digging into his hip, and the quicker he said something, the quicker he'd leave.  
  
_Then talk already!  
  
Shut up._  
  
"No...I didn't know about it. Besides, I don't think I'll go. Not like I have anyone to ask."  
  
Bobby took on a strange, almost predatory, gleam in his eyes. "Oh, but you don't understand. For this dance, the girls have to ask the guys."   
"Dangit, Bobby! Move!" Jamie said indignantly.  
  
"Oh," John said flatly. He started to think that the dance didn't sound so bad, after all. He didn't have to do the hard part of actually asking the girl...   
"Well uh...if someone asks, I guess I'll go."  
  
"Move! You're crushing my leg!"  
  
Bobby grinned. "We're wondering if Amara is gonna ask you. Or maybe Jubilee. Maybe even Rahne. But she's pretty hung up over Sam."  
  
"What? Why? Why would they want to go with me?"  
  
"Get--off--of--me--now, Bobby!"  
  
He shrugged. "You're still the new guy, and they like that sort of thing."  
  
John shook his head. "That makes no sense. And why wouldn't they ask you? Or one of the other guys? Last I checked, there were more of us than there were of them."  
  
Bobby shrugged again. "Just wanted to see what you thought about it." He turned his attentions away from John to plant an elbow somewhere in Jamie's midsection. "Quit whining. I'm going now." He stood up and hopped back over the seat, ignoring Jamie's complaints.  
  
John straightened his body back out and checked on Jamie. "You okay?" The boy nodded. "Couldn't he have asked us that from up there?"  
  
"Heh. Yeah."  
  
"It's just a stupid dance anyway... Who cares about them, right?"  
  
John looked over at the younger mutant with a sideways glance. "I don't know... They aren't all bad... You'll understand when you're older."  
  
It was John's turn to bear the wrath of the Jamie Glare of Doom (patent pending). "You think I don't like girls yet, dontcha?" He growled when John shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "Well, I _do_, but there aren't alot of people at my school, and even fewer pretty girls. I just don't let them get to me."  
  
John shrugged again. He was pretty sure he had liked girls at Jamie's age, and was pretty positive that he once had the same mentality as him. Of course, that all changed once he passed to a bigger school.  
  
_Just let the boy wait until he hits middle school..._  
  
**********  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
Jamie had followed John back into his room, where they were trying to find something to do. That was until Jamie changed the subject, of course.   
"What was what like?"  
  
"You know...when you first found out you could do it..."  
  
John rolled his eyes. "Jamie, are we going to have another one of these weird conversations again?"  
  
Jamie laughed, remembering John's comparing his limb regeneration to...well, a bowel movement. He certainly hadn't forgotten that.  
  
"No, I don't think so..."  
  
"Oh, come on. Scared?" Jamie grinned at him. "Sorry. I shouldn't bring up your powers. I wouldn't want you to make a mess in your pants." He narrowly evaded John's half-hearted punch to the arm, and laughed at him.  
  
John's face went dark, and his body quivered in rage, and he glowered at the boy.  
  
_I really, _really_, **really** wish I hadn't told him that..._  
  
"Awww, did I make poor widdle Gimpy get mad?" Jamie said in baby talk, the sarcasm just dripping from his lips. "I didn't mean to."  
  
This time, he didn't quite manage dodge John's attack.  
  
His shoulder clipped Jamie's side, but it was enough to knock him over. John took advantage of the situation, and pounced on the younger body, rolling him onto his stomach. He pulled Jamie's left arm around his back, like a police officer does when they're about to put handcuffs on someone. Pinning it down with a knee, he shifted until he was holding the boy with by the force of his body weight. To put it simply, he was kneeling on Jamie's back. John wrapped an arm around the multiplying mutant's only free arm, taking a tight grip where it met the shoulder, and started to pull back on it. It was something he had seen a wrestler do once.  
  
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow! Lemme go!"  
  
"Nuh-uh. Not yet. You gotta make a promise," John said through his bared teeth.  
  
Jamie looked up and behind at John. "Sure! Anything! Just lemme go!"  
  
"You don't make any more cracks about my powers like that! Got it?"  
  
The younger mutant nodded quickly. "Okay! No more! No more!" He was practically begging for mercy.  
  
"Good, cause if you do..." John didn't finish. Instead, he pulled on Jamie's arm, pulling the rest of the boy's upper body with him. Jamie yelped loudly before John let go, untwining their arms, and standing back up.  
  
Helping him back up, John playfully nudged Jamie's shoulder. "You okay?"  
  
"Will you teach me how to do that?"  
  
John took half a step back, a little frightened by the boy's sudden burst of energy. "Uh...why?"  
  
Jamie grinned wide, the corners of his mouth reaching up to his eyes. "No reason..." he said sweetly.  
  
Eyeing the boy a little warily, he spoke cautiously. "Can't somebody around here teach you? Like Logan? I seen him do some of that sort of thing with Rogue."  
  
Jamie shook his head. "He does it with Scott and Kurt and Evan, too. Sometimes Mr. McCoy. I asked him to teach me, but he said I was too little."   
John found that hard to believe. Logan saying Jamie was too little? The gruff man seemed to not care about such things sometimes. "You mean the same Logan that lives here?"  
  
The boy nodded.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
"But Logan had me doing one-armed push-ups on my second day here. You've been here months longer, and you're saying he won't teach you?"  
  
"Nope. He won't," Jamie sighed.  
  
"Well...alright. If he won't teach you, I will. Not like I got anything better to do."  
  
"Cool! C'mon, show me now!"  
  
John laughed. "Patience you must have, my young apprentice. Much to teach you, I have."  
  
The boy looked at him a little dumbfounded. John rolled his eyes. That was the last time he tried to do a Yoda impression.  
  
"Hey...how come you didn't multiply? You know, when I knocked you down?"  
  
Jamie blinked for a second, before realizing that he didn't explode into a dozen copies of himself. He pointed to his watch that he hadn't taken off yet.  
  
"Ah. Well... It's a good thing you still had it on, cause I might have ended up fighting you and the rest of the Irregulars." He used the impromptu name that he had christened his militaristic squad of arm-wielding Jamie clones. It made the younger boy grin. "I can fight one of you, but not all."  
  
"Is that so...?"  
  
_Uh oh. I'm gonna regret saying that..._  
  
Jamie hit a button on the side of the watch and tossed it aside, and clapped his hands together, hard enough that John could almost hear the stinging. But pain aside, it achieved it's desired goal. John was now facing two Jamies.  
  
"Uh oh..."  
  
No one heard the words, not even John, as they were drowned out by the sounds of rapid clapping...  
  
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Alright, so if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm going to take the episode 'Shadow Dance' and well...put my own little twist on it, notably by putting John in it, but you knew that already. Much thanks to Post, who gave me the awesome idea. Post, you doth kicketh much asseth.  



	43. A Dance

**There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here**  
**Chapter 43**  
  
Author's Note: Stuff in _italics_ are thoughts. Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Those are what keep me writing.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of this - Marvel and Kid's WB do, except my original character, John. Oh, and I don't even know if this goes here, but if you don't like bad words, just...pretend they're something different.  
  
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John Jashback was sitting on the kitchen counter, pressing a ziploc bag full of ice to the right side of his face. It had been excruciatingly cold before, but he had grown used to it.  
  
Beside him, also sitting on the counter, Jamie Madrox was pressing a wet paper towel to a long rug burn on his arm. He and his Multiples had suffered a variety of injuries, but as they fused back together, their aches and pains disappeared.  
  
"God, I swear like guys are so immature!" Kitty Pryde exclaimed, snatching the bag of ice out of John's hand to examine the side of his face.  
  
John looked over and grinned weakly at Jamie. "You think we went a little overboard?"  
  
"Not at...ow!...all..." he replied, gingerly touching his arm.  
  
They were just rough-housing...no big deal. It had been four Jamies against John, and though he was having fairly good luck in holding his own at first, it didn't take long for the numbers to overpower him.  
  
All in all, they were really actually lucky. For as physical as they were being, they didn't really hurt each other. No one was hit in the groin, and there was no punching or kicking involved. John only had one arm pulled off, and the limb was quickly regenerated. Which was how the Jamies ended up taking the upper hand.  
  
_~Somewhere on the second floor of the mansion, an arm, an arm all alone in a room, was crying, weeping, lamenting over what it once had, what it had lost...~_  
  
Kitty blew a wisp of hair out of her face and shook her heads at the two mutants. "I'd expect this sort of thing from Jamie, but like, you should know better!" Her glare was now directed at John.  
  
The two boys rolled their eyes.  
  
"We were just messing around, that's all," John said sheepishly. As small as Kitty was, she could be downright fierce sometimes.  
  
The girl in question muttered something and limped away for a moment. The two boys couldn't help but laugh. The limp was why she was so angry. It wasn't their fault, not really. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
  
**********  
  
_The crashing and stomping and rumbling and shouting caught Kitty Pryde's attention as she quietly made her way down the hallway.  
  
She cautiously phased herself through the doorway, and..._  
  
**********  
  
It wasn't their fault, not really. Or her fault. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a desperate attempt to fend off the invading hordes of Jamies, John grabbed one by the shoulders and threw him forward, as far away as possible.  
  
How was he supposed to know that Kitty would choose that exact moment to phase herself through the door, stuck in the oncoming path of a spiraling Jamie Madrox?  
  
No one had much time to react. It was far too late, really. John and the other three Multiples were on the other side of the room, and the fourth couldn't stop. And Kitty panicked.  
  
The two of them hit each other, and _hard_.  
  
Kitty limped back into the kitchen with a bottle of aspirin in her hands. She didn't bother to unscrew the cap - she phased a hand through the plastic and pulled it back out, two small pills in her hand. She didn't bother to get a glass of water either - she tilted her head back and dropped the pills inside, swallowing them.  
  
A moment later, her expression made it plainly clear that she wished she had taken the time to get some water.  
  
She stuck her tongue out, and her face crumpled in disgust. Seconds later, the faucet was on, her mouth directly underneath it. John laughed at that, and when Jamie saw it too, his laughter joined in.  
  
"I'm _like_, so glad you guys are _like_, so entertained by this," she said indignantly, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.  
  
"Hey, I offered to carry you down here," John said in his own defense.  
  
"Yeah. It's not our fault you're so stubborn," Jamie retorted.  
  
Kitty shot the younger boy a look full of loathe and anger.  
  
"Toss me that aspirin, will you?" John asked, not bothering to hide his obvious amusement.  
  
Kitty very nearly snarled, and came close to hurling the bottle at him. John laughed, and caught it in mid-air with his one free hand, the pills inside rattling loudly. He set down the bag of ice and unscrewed the cap, and gestured to Jamie with it. The younger mutant shook his head, and John merely shrugged, reaching in and pulling out a small pill for himself. He put the lid back on and set it on the counter, putting the medicine on top. He picked up the ice pack/bag and opened a small section along the top, and tilted it down to his open mouth. He supressed a shiver as the former-ice-now-water flooded his jaw, and he tossed the pill inside, swallowing it all in one quick motion. John ran his fingers along both sides of the plastic seal, closing up the bag, and he pressed it back to his face, and grinned at Kitty.  
  
She shook her head, unimpressed.  
  
"So, are you going to the dance?" Kitty suddenly asked out of the blue.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You know...the one they're having at school... You _do_ know about it, right?"  
  
John nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Bobby told me about it today."  
  
"Are you going?" she inquired.  
  
John leaned back and looked at the girl for a moment.  
  
_Hmm... Is she asking me...?_  
  
"I haven't been asked, if that's what you're wondering," John replied in a very guarded, very neutral tone. "The girls are supposed to ask, right?" Not that he would have minded if she asked. Kitty looked...delicious in the skin-tight uniform she wore during Danger Room sessions.  
  
She must have noticed the change in his voice, because she flustered a little. "I'm not asking you, if that's what you're thinking."  
  
Of course, the first thing John thought after that was, "_Oh, so I'm not good enough for you, huh?_"  
  
"I just thought I'd ask you, since I think I heard some of the girls mention it and you in the same sentence..."  
  
John nodded. Maybe Bobby was speaking some sense after all... He followed the nod with a shrug and said, "Well, if they're going to ask me, they'll ask me. When is this dance, anyway?"  
  
"This Friday."  
  
_Friday, huh? That's four days, not counting today, but counting Friday. Or maybe four days, counting today, but not counting Friday. Or just three days, not counting today or Friday... Essentially, a few days. Yeah. Why didn't I just think that in the first place?_  
  
_Because...you're a loon who talks to yourself?_  
  
_Probably._  
  
"Um. Cool. I guess I'll know soon if they do want to go with me."  
  
She nodded and excused herself from the room, still limping, but less irritated.  
  
"So Jamie, why don't we go... Jamie?"  
  
John looked beside him, where Jamie was. "Yoohoo... Jamie? Jaaaamie? Private Snowflake? You in here?" He looked all around the room, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.  
  
_Oh well. You'd think I would have noticed that he left._  
  
_It was probably when we were talking about the dance... I'm sure he could care less about it._  
  
_So...you think one of them is going to ask you out?_  
  
_Why am I having a conversation with myself **again**?_  
  
_Because, deep down in your arm-regenerating, schizophrenic brain, you find relief in talking to me/yourself. Oh, and as for your question, who knows? Maybe that girl who was laughing at you today will ask you._  
  
_She wasn't laughing _at_ me...she was laughing...uh, laughing _with_ me._  
  
_Uh-huh... You don't seem to sure about that..._  
  
_Shut up._  
  
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Sorry for the rather short chapter. I think it was better to cut it off here, rather than do this, and then start some more. Did that make any sense? I hope so. Anyway, I apologize for the shortness of this. Please forgive me.  



End file.
